


Crime and Punishment: Results may vary

by Sdktrs12



Series: Criminology 101 [2]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Blood and Violence, Breast Fucking, Crimes & Criminals, Dirty Talk, Drinking and drugs, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Exploration of anal play/sex, Exploration of bisexual relationship/intimacy, F/F, F/M, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Implied/referenced MMF threesome, Oral Sex, References to Drugs, Sex Toys, Underage Drinking, Vaginal Sex, descriptions of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:27:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 58,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22140046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sdktrs12/pseuds/Sdktrs12
Summary: The Brio college AU is now a series!This is Part 2.Beth and Rio both struggle to figure out how to balance their personal lives with their professional when the two start to overlap, as Beth finds herself becoming deeply embedded in Rio's criminal empire.Pleaseheed the archive warnings and tags(I will be adding to them!).This part of the series is much darker than the last.- Reference Pictures/Aesthetics/Moodboards -Annie/Beth/RubyRio/Stan/DeanCollege SpacesOriginal Characters(Mild spoilers of future chapters contained in reference pictures)
Relationships: Annie Marks/Nancy, Beth Boland & Annie Marks, Beth Boland & Ruby Hill, Beth Boland/Rio, Ruby Hill/Stan Hill
Series: Criminology 101 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593265
Comments: 190
Kudos: 527





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is fairly short because it's a prologue to the second part of the series.  
> The writing style is a bit different.  
> Subsequent chapters will be about the events that lead up to what happens here. (time jump)

Beth has never regretted a decision more than the ones that have lead her to this cold vast warehouse out in the middle of nowhere, hiding from a literal _psychopath_. 

Her heart feels like it’s beating right out of her chest. She can feel it pounding in her ears and, as irrational as she knows the thought is, she wonders if he can hear it. 

If he’ll follow the sound right to her and... 

Fear courses through her veins, wrapping around her throat and threatening to choke her. She swallows hard, trying to tamp down on the loud ugly sob now trying to claw it’s way from her heaving chest. 

Beth clasps her hand over her mouth, preventing any noise from escaping as tears threaten to spill over. 

She works on regulating her breathing, desperately needing to calm herself down. She has to keep her head on straight, has to keep her focus, or... 

( _You mess up at this, you go to jail or you die_.) 

Well, Rio had told her. He’d warned her right from the start. She can just hear him now. His voice is so crystal clear in her head, calling her out on her stubbornness, her persistence, her irrational need to rush blindly into every situation. 

( _Yeah, see, you didn’t think this all the way through_.) 

Beth’s vision blurs as the tears finally spill over, catching on the hand covering her mouth as they slide down her face. 

“C’mon Beth, why you hidin’?” 

Beth jumps a little as his voice echoes throughout the warehouse, bouncing off the high walls and ceiling, reverberating throughout, making him sound like he’s everywhere. 

Because you’re trying to _kill_ me, she wants to yell back, anger swelling in her chest, temporarily pushing down the fear. 

But she can’t answer. Can’t risk letting him figure out where she is. 

Beth squeezes her eyes shut and counts to ten before forcing them open again. 

She can do this. 

Beth drops her hand from her mouth, wincing slightly at the ache there from how tightly she’d been pressing in. She swipes furiously at her face and eyes, drying her tears. 

She inhales deeply, body trembling slightly as she does, and then lets it out slowly and quietly, prepping herself. 

She has to move. Now. 

Beth takes a quick look around, squinting slightly in the darkness. She’d only turned the lights on in the front and in the office when she’d first come in, before this fucked up meeting had started, leaving the rest of the warehouse dimly lit and cast in shadows. 

This could work to her advantage. 

She knows this warehouse. Knows it better than him. 

“We playin’ a little game of hide and seek or somethin’? Marco Polo? Cat and Mouse?” He laughs at his own stupid little joke and Beth feels the anger in her chest morph into rage. She _hates_ him. 

Beth leans down and pulls her boots off, shoving them between the boxes lining the bottom shelf of the pallet rack she’s hiding behind. She peeks around the corner, checking to see if the aisle is free for her to move. It looks clear and she holds her breath for a second while she listens intently for any nearby noises. When she doesn’t hear anything, she grabs the handle of the bag sitting on the ground at her feet and moves as quickly and quietly as possible to the next pallet rack. Her eyes dart around, senses on high alert, just in case he decides to pop up out of nowhere. 

“Why don’t you come out here and we can talk about this like adults?” 

Beth almost gasps at how close his voice sounds this time and she stops in her tracks, pressing her back up against the pallet rack. He sounds pretty pissed off too. His patience with her is wearing thin, annoyance laced throughout his words. 

_She has to get out of this warehouse_. 

She has to get to her car. 

Where her phone is. Where the gun is. 

Beth makes a split second decision, doesn’t have the time or mindset to hesitate right now, just needs to _do_. 

She darts down the aisle to her left, stepping around a forklift and piles of boxes that have been left in the center, waiting to be loaded onto the racks. 

She just has to make it to the other end of the warehouse, to the door, _to her fucking car_ , and she’ll be free. 

Beth hears his footsteps a second before he appears at the end of the aisle and she stops abruptly, freezing in her tracks. 

He turns his head and spots her before she can move. Beth’s stomach clenches painfully, a wave of nausea raking through her body. 

“Why’re you havin’ me chase you all over this warehouse? Just give me the bag.” 

Beth jerks her chin up, her whole body going stiff as she grips the bag handle tighter. “ _No_.” 

She sees his jaw clench as he steps forward and she instinctively takes two steps back. 

He _laughs_ at her and Beth feels that familiar panic rear it's ugly head. She takes a few more steps back and looks around frantically. She’s back by the forklift again and she spots an open toolbox sitting on the driver's side seat. She lunges for it, grabbing at the first tool she can reach on top. A wrench. She lets it hang in her hand by her side. If there's still a way out of this, she doesn't want to provoke him by threatening him with it just yet. “Leave now and maybe I won’t tell anyone what an asshole you really are.” 

“Jesus, Beth, really? Why don’t we take it down a notch?” His tone is incredibly condescending, like she’s the crazy one in this situation. 

She glares at him, fingers flexing around the wrench. She knows she’s not crazy. She knows if she lets him have the bag, if she lets him get close enough, it won’t end well for her. 

He takes a few slow careful steps toward her and she reels back. “Please, don’t do this.” She begs, shaking her head as tears prick the corners of her eyes. 

“It is what it is. This doesn’t work if you run off and tell Rio everything.” 

“I won’t. I swear.” It’s a desperate lie and they both know it. 

He’s picking up his pace and Beth spins around, the heavy bag in her hand throwing her off balance, causing her to stumble a bit. She quickly rights herself, slinging the bag over her shoulder the best she can, and scurries down the aisle in the direction she came from. She can hear his footsteps close behind her and resists the urge to turn around. 

This must be a dream. A nightmare. If she pinches herself will she wake up? 

Beth’s socks slip across the polished concrete flooring and Beth gasps as she feels his hand wrap around her arm and yank. She can feel herself losing her balance, knows she’s going to fall. If he gets her on the ground... 

Beth acts on instinct, the hand clutching the wrench swinging out as he spins her around, connecting solidly with the side of his face. He yells out in pain, his hand leaving her arm to fly up and cradle his face. He stumbles, landing hard on one knee. 

Beth’s arm shoots out to break her own fall, as she hits the floor, hard. The bag cushions some of the impact, but she feels a painful jolt travel through her arm and tailbone. 

“You _fucking bitch_.” He growls, voice muffled. 

Beth scrambles backwards across the floor, horrified, as he spits out a mouthful of blood. The sound of it splattering against the floor makes her stomach churn. There's blood dripping from his face and she watches as it contorts in anger. He lunges at her, grabbing her ankle and twisting painfully. Beth kicks out, screaming as she swings at him again with the wrench. 

He’s truly mad now, working on blind rage as he yanks her toward him, jerking the wrench out of her hand and throwing it across the aisle. She watches helplessly as it disappears under a pallet. 

Beth kicks and claws at him, but he’s too strong. He forcefully shoves her down and her head bounces painfully off the concrete. Beth sees stars as she cries out, hands coming up to grasp at her head, fingers pressing into her scalp. He climbs up her body, straddling her waist as his hands wrap around her neck. Beth’s eyes widen as her hands fly down to cover his, trying to yank them _off of her_. 

“ _Stop_.” She gasps, body flailing around under him as her hands claw at his. 

“Always gotta make everything difficult, Beth.” He spits out, the blood from his face dripping onto her shirt. 

Some delirious part of her brain is extremely annoyed at the thought of that blood setting in and staining before she has a chance to treat it. She really likes this blouse. 

Between her head smacking against the floor and his hands around her neck, Beth feels herself quickly spiraling into darkness and a million thoughts and images flash through her mind. 

Why did she ever think she could do this on her own? Why had she ignored everything Rio had tried to tell her? 

( _Baby, you aint no criminal. You have no idea what you’re gettin' yourself into._ ) 

Beth thinks about the fact that she _just_ turned 21. 

She thinks about how she’s never going to graduate college. 

She’s never going to be able to experience any of her niece's firsts. 

She’s never going to see Rio again... 

That last one might be the most painful. 

Her hands go limp as they slowly slide off of his. 

Beth’s dimly aware of his fingers loosening slightly as someone yells from far away, before the darkness drags her under.


	2. 6 months before prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth and Rio discuss money, jobs, and sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is straight shameless smut with very little plot haha.  
> Sorry guys!  
> Next chapter is all about the girls carrying out the Canada job.

Beth hums along to the music playing from her open lap top set up on the dining room table. She balances mixing bowls in arms and hands, shifting things around on the tiny kitchen counter to make room for the cookies she’s just pulled out of the oven. She stretches herself up onto her tiptoes, reaching into one of the overhead cupboards and grabbing a serving platter. She rocks back down onto her feet and sets the platter down in the small space she’s managed to free up. Beth slides her oven mitt on and grabs a spatula, bringing the cookie sheet over to the counter and scooping cookies onto the plate. 

She inhales deeply, the heady aroma of her last few hours of baking settling warm and deep, a faint smile playing at her lips. 

When you have a childhood like Beth has had, with absentee parents and a wild younger sister to raise, you quickly form habits that breed comfort and familiarity. 

She’s self taught from a young age, pouring over old battered cookbooks and dreaming up recipes of her own, Annie becoming her ever present and always willing test subject. 

She’d learned to get creative, their limited ingredients and supplies on hand making most recipes difficult to replicate. 

And it turned out she was a natural regardless, perfecting her craft to a tee over the years. It became important for her and Annie to have _something_ that was just...simple and _good_ to look forward to. The time they spent together, talking and giggling and mixing up ingredients-- It was a small _joy_ that they could keep, just for themselves. Something no one else could take from them. 

Baking was, admittedly, also an emotional outlet. A coping mechanism. She makes cupcakes when she’s distracted. Macarons when she’s annoyed. Muffins when she’s sad. Doughnuts when she’s pissed off. 

Cookies when she’s happy. 

And when she’s stressed...well, a little bit of everything gets made. 

Today, it’s a mixture of happiness and stress that has resulted in the baked goods lining her kitchen counter. 

Wiping her hands off on her apron, Beth walks over to the dining room table. She pulls her apron off, tossing it onto the table and picking up her phone. She leans over the table, clicking through her playlists on the lap top with one hand as she swipes her phone open with the other. 

She settles on a new playlist and then focuses on her phone and the new messages she has from Annie and Ruby. 

She’s called a “family meeting” for later tonight and she’s extremely nervous about it. She bites at her thumbnail as she reads over the conformation texts that they’ll be there. 

She hasn’t filled them in on what’s happened with Rio or his job offer. A wave of guilt hits her at holding out for this long, anxiety close on it’s heels at how upset they’re going to be. 

Which is exactly why she’d given herself some prep time before she inevitably had to drop the bomb. 

Beth sets her phone back down and she’s about to turn back to the kitchen and check the cupcakes to see if they’re cooled down enough for icing, when the front door opens. 

She panics for a split second (she knows Annie and Ruby are out for the day) and then breathes a sigh of relief as Rio (the main reason behind all this happiness and stress baking) steps through. 

“Did you make yourself a key without me knowing?” She asks, eyebrow raised inquisitively. Rio grins as he shuts the door behind him, wordlessly ambling over to the table, reaching out to tilt the lap top screen back so he can critique her music list. Beth rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms over her chest, waiting for his inevitable mockery. At least the current list she has playing has some of Rio’s preferences laced throughout. He’d given her some suggestions and she’d placated him by adding them. 

Rio glances up at her, lips parting, to ridicule she’s sure, but then his eyes stick behind her and Beth turns her head to see what he’s looking at. 

She flushes as her eyes take in the kitchen again, which resembles more of a bakery right now. 

Beth turns back to him, chin lifted defiantly because she just _knows_ he’s going to say something smart. “What?” 

“You didn’t tell 'em yet, huh?” 

Beth blinks a little at that, because-- _what the hell_ , how does he always know her so well? 

She lets a coy little smile play at her lips, batting her eyelashes a little as she reaches up and twirls a finger through her hair. “Well--” 

He's not playing with her though, jaw rocking as he tries to control his obvious annoyance. “ _Elizabeth_.” 

She huffs out an irritated sigh, dropping the coy act immediately. “I was waiting for the _right time_.” 

“An I’ve been waitin’ for _my money_.” 

Beth sucks a deep breath in, resisting the ( _very_ ) strong urge to roll her eyes. 

This is the same argument they’ve been having for the last week. 

They haven’t talked about anything but that damn money. Not about what’s been going on with her, or with him, or with _them_. 

She still hasn’t let him know where the money is. She’s waiting until after they actually _do_ the job in Canada. She can tell his patience is wearing thin though. 

“You leavin’ this weekend.” He reminds her, like she doesn’t already know. 

Beth turns on her heel and stalks away, ready to distract her mind and occupy her hands with those damn cupcakes. “I’m telling them. Tonight.” 

Rio follows right behind her. “You asked for this.” 

“Yes. I did.” She confirms, the irritation she’s feeling evident in her clipped tone. 

Rio looks pointedly around the kitchen and Beth turns away, grabbing one of the bowls of frosting and a tray of cupcakes and walking them back over to the dining room table, where there is more room. 

Rio stands and watches her, hands in pockets, as she flits between the kitchen and dining room, getting all of her supplies ready to frost. It drives her mad when he just... _watches_ her like this. She’d almost rather he just talk at her, like he is wont to do. She can at least handle that. 

This just unnerves her. Makes her feel on edge. Exposed. 

She starts filling a piping bag, pointedly ignoring him, and she just barely hears the small exhale of air as he slowly strolls back over to join her at the table. 

The urge to smile is overwhelming, but she resists.  
Because she knows that sigh. 

That’s his ‘you are a huge pain in my ass, but I'm gonna let this shit go—for now’ sigh. 

Similar to, but not to be confused with, his ‘I know you’re playin’ me right now, we’ll come back to this later when I figure out how’ sigh. 

Her hands work diligently as they decorate the cupcakes in front of her, switching out piping tips for different styles. She’s so caught up in what she’s doing that she almost misses it when Rio reaches over into one of the frosting bowls and swipes some. He’s lightening quick and Beth just stares at him as he brings his finger up to his mouth, tasting the frosting. “S’good, ma.” 

Her eyes narrow as she sets her hand on her hip, ready to scold him. “I know, _I made it_.” 

Rio laughs at that, one of those big belly laughs that he seriously doesn’t do enough of, and Beth’s left a little breathless by it, temporarily forgetting why she’s irritated with him to begin with. 

But then he reminds her, by swiping his finger through the frosting _again_ and Beth reaches over and smacks his hand before he can pull it away. 

“So abusive.” He mutters, trying his hardest to hold back his laughter this time. 

“Stop sticking your fingers in my frosting!” As soon as the words leave her mouth, she knows he’s going to twist them into something dirty. She almost groans out loud at the devilish glint in his eye. 

“Oh, I’m sorry sweetheart, did you want some?” Dart quick, Rio’s finger swipes across her cheek, smearing the sticky frosting there. Beth’s eyes widen as she gasps, her hand coming up to shove his away. 

And then, before she can even react past that, Rio’s reaching out with his other hand, grabbing her by the back of the neck and dragging her toward him, close enough that he can lick the frosting off of her face. 

Beth gasps again, her hands flying up and shoving at his chest. He lets her go, eyes sparkling with amusement and Beth just gapes at him as she stumbles back. 

“Did you just _lick my face_?” She hisses, hand coming up to wipe at her cheek. 

The piping bag is still in her other hand and she glances down at it before looking back up at him and Rio is suddenly looking a lot less pleased with himself and a lot more nervous at her. 

Beth steps toward him and Rio backs away, hands thrown up in surrender. “Nuh uh. Keep that away from me.” 

“Why? Scared of getting messy?” She taunts, still advancing. 

“I barely put any on you, an you comin’ at me with a whole bag of ammo.” 

Beth huffs out a laugh, twisting the bag around in her hand. She squeezes a little bit of frosting from the tip onto one finger and slowly licks it off, eyes on Rio the whole time. “You’re right, it is _so_ good.” She drops her voice a few octaves, playing for a mockingly seductive tone. She almost laughs, she feels so ridiculous doing it, but it works. His feet come to a halt, his eyes glued to her mouth, and Beth bites back her smile as she steps forward. 

Rio breaks from his daze at her movement, backing up again, shaking his head ruefully. He’s catching on to her game. 

He’s backed up to the living room now and Beth considers her options. She can’t move quickly enough because he’s always been faster than her... 

She holds the piping bag loosely at her side as she reaches her free hand up and slowly unbuttons the top button of her blouse. 

She’s not above playing dirty. 

Rio’s whole body stiffens and Beth can’t help it, she does smile then, because he is just so predictable. 

She takes a tentative step forward, and he shuffles back. Not as quickly this time, though. 

Beth nibbles at her bottom lip as she tilts her head to the side, fingers working at the next button on her blouse, and this time she takes the tiniest step forward as she’s undoing it. Rio’s distracted _just_ enough not to react right away. 

The hand holding the frosting twitches a little in anticipation, and she sees Rio clock the movement, eyes flicking back up to her face and Beth stops breathing for a second because... 

The heat in his eyes is enough to make her forget their little game, enough to make her flush, to make her heart beat a little faster. 

She can feel the shift in the air, the low thrum of tension now vibrating between them. 

And--- yeah, she probably should’ve known this was bound to happen. 

The weight of everything else has kept them physically distant from each other over the last week. It was only a matter of time before one, or both, of them broke...

Beth swallows hard as her fingers pause at the next button, and Rio cocks his head, lifting his chin a little, encouraging her to continue. 

Her shirt is gaping open now, exposing her cleavage and bra and Rio’s advancing on her, pulling her body against his as his lips harshly find hers. 

She registers his hand sliding over hers a split second before he yanks the piping bag out of her grip. He pulls back as he brings it up, squeezing a line of frosting onto her right breast. Beth squeaks out a protest, trying to jerk away, but Rio’s arm is locked tight around her waist, holding her in place. And then she’s inhaling sharply as his tongue and mouth travel over the path of frosting, licking and sucking it off and Beth closes her eyes as her hand grips the back of his neck. He repeats the process on her left breast and Beth lets out a soft gasp as he pulls the cup of her bra down to swipe his tongue over her nipple. 

He hums a little as he pulls her tighter against him, mouth closing over her nipple and sucking lightly. 

Her grip on his neck tightens, her legs feeling like they might give out from under her at any moment. 

Rio pulls off her breast with a wet pop and Beth’s whole body jerks as a shiver runs through it. 

“You taste jus’ as good as that frosting, mami.” 

Beth doesn’t think she can even string together a cohesive set of words right now, eyes still half closed as she clings to him. 

Rio doesn’t seem to be expecting an answer from her anyway. He tosses the bag of frosting onto the coffee table and then both hands are back on her. He slides them down her body, gripping her ass as he yanks up and Beth squeals as she flails a little, her legs wrapping haphazardly low around his waist. 

He takes long strides towards her bedroom, as Beth bites at his neck, making him squeeze her ass hard in turn. She giggles breathlessly when he swings her around and pushes her up against the wall in her room, pressing hard against her. 

Her fingernails rake down his scalp and neck and Rio shoves his hand into her hair, gripping the back of her head as he kisses her, hard. 

At this rate, she doesn’t think they’ll even make it onto her bed, even though it’s _right there_.  
And she’s not sure she even wants to. She wiggles her hips against him, wanting him to fuck her right there, against the wall. 

“Here.” She whispers against his lips, hands moving to his belt, unbuckling it and his pants. 

Rio huffs out a laugh, hands sliding up over her shirt to her breasts, groaning as he feels the weight of them in his hands, fingers skimming over her exposed skin, before hooking into her shirt and yanking. Beth gasps as buttons fly everywhere and he pushes her shirt off her shoulders, and down her arms, letting it fall to the floor. 

She stares up at him, eyes wide with indignation. “I really liked that shirt!” 

His fingers flick over her front bra clasp, popping it open easily. “I really like these.” 

His mouth is hot on her breasts before she can respond, biting and sucking at every inch of exposed skin, and okay-- they can have that argument later, she thinks. Her hands scramble at his jeans, pushing them and his underwear down as far as she can. She wraps her hand around him, stroking him slowly as her head falls forward a bit, her breaths coming in short and quick as he moves from one breast to the other. He pauses for a moment as she continues to work him with both hands, quietly panting against her breast as his hands slowly stroke over her body. 

Beth takes the opportunity to gently push him back, dropping carefully to her knees as she does. 

She leans forward, licking up the full length of his cock, tongue swirling around the head as her hands come up to stroke over him again. Rio watches languidly through heavy lidded eyes, his fingers skimming over her cheek, her jaw, sliding over her collarbone, the tops of her breasts. She looks up at him through her lashes. Loves watching him try to restrain himself. Loves watching him lose control.  
The way his jaw clenches. How his head tilts back slightly, exposing more of his tattoo. The way he swallows thickly, the lines of that tattoo shifting slightly. How his pants turn into moans between parted lips. 

His fingers push through her hair, tugging on it, pulling her mouth off of him and helping her back onto her feet. 

His fingers are immediately working at the button and zipper on her jeans, and then his hand is sliding into her underwear, his fingers sliding over her soft folds and Beth lets out a tiny whimper as she closes her eyes. 

She can feel him lean in close, his mouth placing soft little kisses along her neck. “Always so wet for me, baby.” 

Beth flushes, his gravelly voice turning her on even more, making her even wetter. 

Rio hums against her collarbone, like he knows exactly what his voice does to her. And really, its so unfair, because he _does_ know. He bites down just as he slips two fingers inside of her and Beth moans as her hips rock against him. 

Beth pulls at his head, bringing it up so her lips can capture his in a deep kiss. He slips his fingers out of her to shove her pants down and she kicks them off. He pulls her toward the bed, pushing her down onto it and Beth scoots up toward the headboard, pulling her bra off the rest of the way and tossing it on the floor. Rio undresses quickly before climbing up onto the bed, kneeling in front of her, looking down at her hungrily. Beth squirms a little, resisting the natural urge to cover herself. She’s still yet to get used to this, doesn’t know if she ever will.  
The way he looks at her, like...like she is everything in these moments-- like nothing else exists. 

His eyes scan over her, head cocking slightly to the side, like he’s trying to decide something. Then he’s reaching out, pulling her up by her arms and turning her around, on her knees, to face the headboard. He pushes her slightly forward, grabbing her hands and placing them on the headboard, squeezing them as he whispers, “Stay.” in her ear, before letting her go. 

Beth grips the headboard, feeling way too vulnerable, too exposed, especially when she can’t see him or what he’s doing. When she can’t touch him back. She thinks that’s probably the point. For him. 

She feels his fingertips ghost down her spine and she shivers as she bites back a moan. 

“Y’know, I think about this.” He grazes his fingers back up her spine, pushing her hair over one shoulder, his lips pressing against her exposed skin. She feels his body so close to hers, almost touching but not quite. Like he’s purposely holding himself back from her. “Can’t get you outta my damn head. Don’t matter where I am,” his lips brush against the spot between her shoulder blades as his hands glide up and down her sides, “At the bar. In class. In a fuckin meetin’. Don’t even gotta close my eyes to imagine you, naked and sprawled out in front o’ me.” He stops his hands at her hips and gives them a squeeze, before sliding them around to her stomach. “Thinkin’ bout fuckin’ you. Comin’ deep inside o’ you. Makin’ you feel me for _days_.” His hands slide up until he’s holding her breasts, squeezing them, fingers grazing over her nipples, teasing them into hard little peaks. His hands and his words are driving her _insane_ , have her panting hard and rocking back, desperate to feel him. “Y’know it drives me crazy thinkin’ bout you walkin’ round campus, lookin’ the way you do, dudes imaginin’ what it’s like between them legs. _I know_. How wet and tight and sweet you are.” One hand stays at her breast as the other slides down her body, between her legs, fingers stroking her through her underwear. 

“ _Rio_.” She whimpers, grinding down against his hand. She’s soaked through her panties, so turned on she thinks she can probably come just from his fingers on her like this. 

“You want it?” He purrs in her ear and Beth resists the urge to reach back, to pull him closer. 

“ _Yes_.” She moans and then lets out a gasp as Rio tears her underwear off and yanks her hips back, pushing into her in one swift movement and Beth rocks forward with the force of it. 

“ _Fuck_.” Beth grinds down onto him, and, god, she’s already almost there. She’s so, _so_ close... 

Rio’s hands are on her hips, holding her steady, holding her in place, as he fucks up into her hard and fast. And she can tell how much he’d been holding himself back before, knows he’s just as desperate for this release as she is. 

He slides one of his hands around to her front, down between her legs and Beth’s hand comes off the headboard to cover his as his fingers circle her clit. She moans out his name, gripping him tightly as she comes, her whole body trembling with the force of it. 

Rio cusses low behind her, leaning forward to press his front tightly against her back, the hand at her hip moving up to grip the headboard next to hers. His mouth latches onto her neck as his movements become erratic, and it's not long before he’s coming deep inside of her, just like he said he would, and Beth tries not to collapse face first into the headboard as her body twitches in the aftermath of her own orgasm. 

Rio’s hand slowly slides back up to her hip, thumb caressing her skin in tiny circles as his forehead drops to rest on her shoulder. “Fuck, ma.” His voice sounds exhausted but thoroughly satisfied, which is pretty much how Beth is feeling right about now. Rio drops his other hand from the headboard, straightening up, pulling Beth up with him and he grabs her chin, tilting her head back so he has better access to her mouth. 

He pushes up on her hip and Beth sucks in a sharp breath as he pulls out of her. She can feel his cum start to drip out of her almost as soon as he pulls out and she leans over to her bedside table to grab some tissue for cleanup. Of course, as soon as she’s bent over, Rio’s flat palm connects solidly with her ass and Beth yelps as she turns around to swat at his arm. “ _Stop_.” 

He grins, grabbing her arm and pulling her down onto the bed with him. 

Beth tries to wiggle away, tissue still in hand. “I need to clean up.” She whines. 

“Nuh.” Rio pushes the hand with the kleenex in it away and Beth glares at him. 

“I want you to put those pretty little panties of yours back on,” His hand slides down her body and she shudders as his fingers find her still sensitive clit. And then he's swiftly pushing them inside of her and Beth gasps as her hips jerk against him, “I want you to feel my cum drippin’ outta you. _All. Day. Long_.” He slowly pumps his fingers in and out of her as he talks and Beth clenches around them, her breathing coming out quick and shallow. 

“That’s completely unsanitary.” She grits out, hips rutting against his hand despite how annoyed she is, chasing after the heat and tension he's quickly building up again. 

“Yah, but it turns you on jus’ thinkin’ bout it, don’t it, sweetheart?” He crooks his fingers up inside of her, rubbing at her inner walls and Beth’s head falls back as her hands cling to his arms. 

“No.” She snaps, glaring up at him and Rio huffs out a laugh as he rubs his fingers faster, harder. 

“I bet you’d get real turned on, sittin’ in class, squirmin’ in your seat, feelin’ my cum soakin’ into ya panties. You a real freak, Elizabeth.” 

“ _Shut up_.” She moans, eyes closing as she feels all that pressure his fingers and his stupid fucking voice are making come to a head, and her back arches into him as her nails dig into his skin and she falls head first into another orgasm. She collapses back against the sheets and Rio places soft kisses along her face, her neck, and her collarbone as she slowly comes down from it. 

“I hate you.” She says breathlessly as she opens her eyes. 

Rio lifts his head and grins down at her, pulling his fingers out slowly. He grabs the tissue she’d dropped at some point and wipes his fingers off on it and Beth lets out an annoyed sigh, reaching back over to the bedside table and grabbing more. He snatches it out of her hand and she’s about to protest, but then he’s gently wiping between her legs, and her mouth closes as she quietly watches him instead. 

He leans over and tosses both tissues into the bin next to her bed and then rolls over, bringing her with him, so that she’s half sprawled out on top of him. 

He pushes her hair out of her face, his thumb caressing over her jawline. His face is serious as his eyes scan over hers, and she already knows what's coming. “You gotta do it tonight.” 

And she sighs heavily, but nods, because she knows he’s right. She has to tell them tonight; she has to prep them for what's to come. And she can’t hold his money hostage forever. 

Beth pushes herself up, pulling away from him and he pouts at her. She rolls her eyes as she grabs her robe off the hook on the door and wraps it around herself, making her way over to her desk. She opens up the top drawer and pushes everything else aside, reaching all the way to the back and pulling the key to the storage unit out. 

She slowly walks back to the bed, stopping once she’s reached the side of it. She silently holds it out to him and he just stares back at her for a minute. 

She’s giving up her leverage. She’s trusting him at his word that this job is theirs, that they’ll get a cut of it once it’s finished, that _he_ trusts _her_ enough to let her immerse herself into this part of his world. 

The bed shifts as he leans forward, but he isn’t reaching for the key, he’s reaching for her wrist, pulling her back down onto the bed. “You really want this?” 

Beth shifts uncomfortably as she thinks that question over because... 

It’s complicated. 

Breaking the law ( _again_ ) wouldn’t exactly be her first choice, but they don’t really have many other options at this point. 

But she also can’t deny that there is that small part of her (growing bigger by the day) that is excited to pull this off, like they did with the grocery store. To see the look on Rio’s face when they do. To be a part (however small) of this life that is so largely him, inside and out. 

Beth clears her throat before straightening up, nodding her head decisively as she looks him in the eye. 

Yes. 

She really wants this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth, Annie, and Ruby make a trip across the border.  
> Beth asks Rio for a favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so happy to be coming back to this AU, I've missed writing my crime babies!  
> I'm borrowing heavily from the GG 1x03 plot (obviously) and the OT3 will continue criming in a similar fashion to what is canon.  
> Now that I will be updating this more frequently, I'm going to reiterate here that you please check the tags and warnings, I will be adding to them! (I've already tagged a few things that are _not_ featured in this chapter specifically, but will be coming up in future chapters. If any of those make you uncomfortable, this fic is probably not for you!)  
> Big, huge, gigantic thanks to medievalraven for being a fantastic hype person and beta.

Beth nervously paces back and forth in the living room, pulling her phone out, _again_ , and checking the time. 

Annie and Ruby should be here any minute. 

Beth feels like she’s going to throw up. 

After Rio had left, Beth had taken a shower and then organized all of the baked goods into various Tupperware containers, leaving the cupcakes out for the girls when they got here. 

A little bribery never hurt, right? 

Beth tosses her phone onto the couch with a frustrated sigh. She can’t keep her hands still while she’s keyed up like this, so she twists at her hair, winding it up into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. 

She brings a hand down slightly, fingers tracing over the bruise Rio had sucked into the delicate skin earlier. She shivers a little as she runs her fingernails over it lightly. She’d known it was only a matter of time before they fell back into bed together, but she’d been hoping it would’ve happened _after_ they had finally cleared the air about where they stood with each other. 

How was all of this going to affect them? He’d shown up (extremely pissed off) at her apartment, accused her of stealing from him (which—fair, because she _had)_ , and then propositioned her with an illegal job offer. One she had, admittingly, practically _demanded_. She feels like she’s living in a Netflix series. 

Beth lets her hair fall with a sigh, flopping down onto the couch and staring hard up at the ceiling, trying to figure out how her life had imploded so spectacularly. If she really wanted to, she could trace all of this back to Dean, because none of this would’ve happened if he’d been able to keep his penis in his pants. 

Of course, then she’d still be with Dean. A life of crime, and all the risks that came with it, sounded preferable. 

Beth’s thoughts are interrupted by familiar voices on the other side of the apartment door and she bolts upright, twisting around to look at the door just as Ruby and Annie come bursting through, a flurry of energy as they both giggle and talk over one another, throwing their bags on top of the dining room table, before joining Beth in the living room. 

“Hey.” She greets them softly, settling back into the couch again, pulling her legs up underneath her. 

_“Oh,_ cupcakes!” Annie squeals, face lighting up as she sees the various assortments packed onto the coffee table. She immediately reaches for one and Beth grins, but then Annie freezes, her face faltering as she finally registers the sheer amount covering the entire surface. “Wait, why are there _so many_ cupcakes?” She asks, slowly straightening back up and squinting over at Beth suspiciously. Ruby sucks in a sharp breath as she seems to come to a realization, her eyes widening considerably, and Beth resists the urge to roll her own eyes, because really, that’s such an overreaction. 

Beth plasters on her best reassuring smile as she purposefully relaxes her posture, hoping she can ease them into a false sense of security before dropping this bomb. She needs them here, not running away screaming. 

“Guys...I did something.” 

Ruby turns stiffly to Annie, eyes still impossibly wide as a breathless little “ _No."_ leaves her lips. Annie pats at Ruby’s hand reassuringly, shushing her soothingly, and Beth does roll her eyes then as she leans forward. 

“Look, it’s not like _that_ bad—” She starts but Annie holds her hand up to stop her, her gaze dropping down to the cupcakes once more, her face reflecting the apparent betrayal she feels by them. 

“What else did you bake today?” Annie asks warily, her eyes darting over to the kitchen area and Beth sits back heavily against the cushions again, folding her arms over her chest. 

“Who says I made anything else?” Beth lifts her chin slightly, shrugging her shoulder as nonchalantly as possible, but her façade cracks when Annie pulls away from Ruby, and then shatters completely when she makes a move toward the kitchen. 

“Okay, fine!” She lets out an exasperated sigh, “So, I baked a lot today, I had some free time—” 

“ _Beth_.” Annie groans and Ruby makes a strangled noise of agreement at that. 

“Okay, okay,” Beth finally gives in, dropping all pretense. She tries to be careful with her next set of words. “There’s been a... _development_ ,” Beth pauses, eyes flitting over their increasingly panicked faces. “Maybe you should sit.” 

Annie immediately drops down into the recliner as Ruby settles herself in next to Beth on the couch. 

Beth takes a deep breath in, biting at her lip as she tries to figure out how to start. “The money is gone.” 

There’s a moment of silence and then both girls react at once. 

“I’m sorry, _what?_ ” Annie hisses, leaning forward as her whole body vibrates with tension, at the same time Ruby’s posture stiffens even further and Beth lets out another sigh, running her hands over the front of her jeans before linking them together in her lap. 

“You were right,” She says, turning to Ruby, “The money from the grocery store did belong to someone else.” 

“Oh god, what does that even _mean_?” Ruby asks, voice strained, making it a little higher than normal. 

“I have to tell you guys something and I need you to _not_ freak out over it.” 

“Jesus, Beth, I swear to god, if you don’t just tell us what’s going on—” 

“The money belongs to Rio. He funnels money through the grocery store illegally and he found out we took it and he came by and he was _not happy,_ so I gave it back to him.” Beth cuts Annie off, the words coming out disjointed and rushed, all jumbled together. She really hopes they understood it all, because she does _not_ want to have to repeat any of that. 

“I’m sorry, _what_?” Annie repeats, dumbfounded but Beth is looking to Ruby, trying to gauge her reaction. 

“I don’t...understand.” Ruby finally gets out, a look of pure concern and confusion on her face. 

Beth nods, swallowing thickly, hesitating a little, because she knows this next part is going to be hard for her friend to process. They’d talked about this before, way back when, but Beth had never gone into detail and she knows Ruby would’ve never dreamed someone Beth was dating would be involved in this level of criminal activity. 

“There are things that Rio is a part of that...lean more toward the illegal side of things.” Beth struggles to find the right words to use, unsure of how much she should divulge and how much she should retain. There’s a fine line between keeping them in the loop and dragging them past the point of no return. 

“I’m sorry, I just—when you brought this up before, I was thinking maybe he sold weed as a side hustle or something. Not _money laundering_. I mean, he owns a bar.” Ruby says, the confusion still there, like she can’t quite equate what Beth is telling her to what she already knows, and Beth nods again. 

“Yes, his family owns the bar and he works there. They own a few different businesses. But some of those businesses are used for...other things.” 

“Like fronts?” Annie chimes in and Beth finally turns back to her. Her sister looks confused, but less so than Ruby—more intrigued than anything. Beth isn’t that surprised. She had come up with the idea to rob the store after all. 

“Most of them are legitimate.” She clarifies, “But there are illegitimate things that run through them.” 

“So, your boyfriend is what? Part of the mob or something?” Annie asks, shaking her head at the very thought of it. 

And Beth isn’t quite sure how to answer that. 

_Was_ he part of the mob? She’s not even sure, they hadn’t really gotten into the finer details of Rio’s family's involvement in crime. 

“I wouldn’t say that.” She answers hesitantly. 

“But you wouldn't _not_ say that?” Ruby finally asks and Beth turns to look at her again. 

“I’m not entirely sure of the extent of things, no. Look, that’s not really the issue here—” 

“I’m sorry, how is that _not_ the issue here?” Ruby interjects. “Your boyfriend is into actual full blown _crime_ , to an unknown extent, and we apparently _robbed_ him, _pissed him off_ , then he somehow found out it was _us,_ took his money back, and now what?” 

“Well, that’s why I asked you guys to come here—” 

“Did you know about this? Before he stopped by to get his money back? Did you know the details of what he did?” 

Beth winces at Ruby’s words, the harsh tone behind them, the way she’s looking at her accusingly. 

“Yes.” She admits, chancing a quick look at Annie too as she says it. 

“Oh, Beth.” The disappointment, the anger, is etched harshly into Beth’s name as it leaves Ruby’s lips and Beth’s heart clenches, it’s so painful to hear. “How could you not tell us?” 

“Look, it had nothing to do with us—before now. What he does, what his family does, it had _nothing_ to do with us.” 

“If it’s dangerous, it affects us. Anything that could hurt you, hurts us, B.” 

“It’s not dangerous.” Beth insists, ignoring the flash of Rio’s golden gun in her mind, pushing the image away as she continues. “Look, most of what he does isn’t even that bad. There’s nothing really violent involved. Besides, that’s not what I wanted to talk with you guys about.” 

“Oh god, there’s _more_?” Annie groans, dropping her head down to cradle in her hands. 

“Just listen. I had to give his money back, but we still need that money. So, I...asked him for a job.” 

“You _what_?” Ruby asks sharply as Annie’s head snaps back up to stare at Beth with that same look of utter disbelief from before. 

“We still need money for the baby and the lawyer. So, I asked him for a job, and he agreed.” 

“What kind of job exactly?” Annie asks, curiosity piqued. 

“Well, that’s the thing. I’m not really sure. He asked if we had passports. He needs something picked up from Canada and brought back here. He gave me an address and not much else.” Beth’s still irritated by that, her annoyance bleeding out through her words. 

( _“What are we supposed to pick up?” She’d asked._

_“Don’t gotta worry about that. All the info you need is on there.” Rio had replied gesturing to the piece of paper he’d just given to her._

_“This just has a time, a name, and an address.” Beth had pointed out._

_“S’all you need.”_

_“I mean, not really.” She’d started to argue but Rio had cut her off._

_“Elizabeth. Just get it done.”_

_“What if we get stopped?”_

_“You’re white and you got tits, I’m sure you’ll do fine.”_

_She’d moved to smack him then but he’d dodged her, laughing at how easy it was for him to rile her up_ ) 

“Pick something up? Illegally? Across the border? I mean, I think we all know what that means.” Annie snorts and both Beth and Ruby turn to stare at her. “And what exactly is that Annie?” Ruby asks, eyebrow popped. 

Annie rolls her eyes. “ _Obviously_ , it’s drugs. Up our butts.” She makes a crude hand gesture and Beth cringes as Ruby’s mouth drops open. 

“I’m almost positive it’s not drugs.” Beth reassures Ruby, shooting Annie a glare, who just shrugs in response. 

“I mean, I’m pregnant, I can’t be shoving drugs up various orifices.” 

“Being pregnant is the only thing stopping you from doing that?” Ruby asks incredulously. 

Annie shrugs again, eyebrows raised slightly as she looks between the two of them. “I mean—if the compensation was adequate—” 

“ _Okay_ , that’s just—we can stop that now. It’s not drugs.” Beth is almost certain it’s not, but she sends out a silent prayer that Rio doesn’t end up proving her wrong. “And even if it was, I’m sure there would be no shoving of them up any...random places.” 

“Okay, but really, how much is he paying us for this?” Annie asks again. 

“We’re not really considering doing this, are we?” Ruby leans forward, elbows on knees as she drops her head into her hands. 

Beth looks at her friend with sympathy, feeling gutted that she’s dragged her into this, _again_. “Ruby, you don’t have to do this. Annie, you either. I can do this on my own, no one else needs to be involved in any of this again.” 

“Are you kidding? There’s no way I’m letting you do this on your own. Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean you get to have all the fun.” Annie jokes, but Beth can see the worry in her eyes. 

“Yeah, I’m not letting you two out of my sight. There’s no telling what kind of trouble you’d get into on your own.” Ruby says, lifting her head and giving Beth a small smile. “But don’t think this means you’re off the hook for lying to us. I expect a full report on homeboy when we get back.” Annie nods her head in agreement at Ruby’s words. 

Beth nods then too, as she lets out a tiny sigh of relief, a small smile playing at her lips as she looks at the two of them. Her heart and her soul. As much as she was willing to do this on her own, it feels good to know they’ll be by her side. 

“So, how is this supposed to work?” Ruby asks, straightening up again. 

Beth gives them a brief summary, explaining which border they’ll cross over at, showing them the name and address Rio had given her, and their (very brief) conversation about it. She’d also thrown in the fact that she had strong armed a rental car out of Dean, from his dad’s dealership. 

( _Dean had stopped by the café one day and inspiration had hit as she’d watched him fumble with the napkin dispenser before sitting down at a table. Beth had rounded the counter and sauntered over to his table, settling herself into the chair across from him, much to his surprise._

_“I need a car.” She’d stated immediately, getting straight to the point, not wanting to waste any time on fake conversation or sweet talking._

_“Uh, hello to you too.” Dean had chuckled nervously, fidgeting in his seat, eyes darting around like he was unsure of what was going on._

_“I need a car and you’re going to give me one. From your dad’s dealership.”_

_“Bethie, what is this? Is this some sort of joke?”_

_“The only joke here is you, Dean.”_

_His face had twisted up at that. “Yeah, I don’t think so. Why would I do anything for you?” He’d sneered, ego wounded by her words._

_“Because you owe me. You owe me for all the shit you put me through and all the times you cheated on me. And because, if you don’t, I’m going to scream at the top of my lungs that you’ve given me herpes and throw that drink in your face.” Beth had explained calmly, with her sweetest smile firmly in place._

_“You wouldn’t dare.” Dean had scoffed, leaning back and smiling himself, smug in his own assurance._

_Like he knew her._

**_He’d never known her._**

_“Oh, but I would. See, I don’t care about any of these people. But you do. I bet you’ve fucked half them and you’re hoping to fuck the other half. How mad and disgusted do you think they’ll be if they hear you have herpes?” Beth had asked, expression now cold and indifferent._

_Dean had cleared his throat, leg bouncing uncontrollably, as he’d ran his hands through his hair. His eyes had darted around the busy café once more as he’d considered her request._

_“Fine. When do you need it?” He’d finally gritted out, leaning forward stiffly._

_“Saturday morning.”_

_“Okay, I can get you a Nissan Versa—”_

_“Nope, I’m gonna need an SUV.”_

_“_ **_Bethie_ ** _, you know that is_ **_not_ ** _possible—”_

_Beth had leaned forward, palms flat against the table as she took in a deep breath, ready to destroy him and Dean had gone completely pale before agreeing to every demand she’d made._

_“Wait, how do I know you’ll bring this one back in one piece? You don’t exactly have a stellar track record with my dad’s cars.” He’d asked when they were finished and she’d stood up._

_“You don’t.” She’d replied simply, with a shrug of her shoulder._

_She’d left feeling as good as the day she’d smashed up his car at the warehouse._ ) 

The three of them have settled considerably by the time they’re finishing up the details of the trip, although Beth can still feel a low thrum of nervous tension there. Which is understandable. 

Beth is feeling pretty nervous herself. 

Robbing the grocery store was one thing, but this feels like a whole ‘nother ball field. Something bigger, deeper, more dangerous. 

It’s exciting and terrifying all at once. 

And Beth can’t help but feel pleased with the fact that Rio was trusting her with this. Letting her be a part of this. Letting her take control. 

She wants to succeed at this. She wants to prove she can slip into his world just as easily as he had hers. She _needs_ to prove it. For herself. For him. 

\---- 

Saturday morning, the three of them meet up in the café parking lot. Beth had told Dean to leave the car there for her to use. He’d hidden the key behind the license plate. 

“If either of you want to turn back, now’s the time.” Beth says as she unlocks the doors. 

Annie and Ruby look at each other and then back at her, before getting into the car at the same time, Annie in back and Ruby in the passenger side. Beth’s heart clenches in her chest a little, a relieved smile slipping out as she slides into the driver's side seat. 

“Okay, here we go.” Beth breathes out, turning the car on and handing the address to Annie, who types it into her phone GPS. 

As it turns out, relying on Annie to handle the navigation was a terrible idea, one Beth comes to fully realize after the third time she’s told her the wrong turn/exit to take. Beth pulls off into a rest area to put the address into her own phone instead, relinquishing Annie of her duties, and handing Ruby her phone. Annie slouches down in the backseat and pouts. 

The border isn’t too far away, a two hour drive, at most, with traffic. The closer they get, however, the more nervous energy Beth can feel inside the vehicle. 

“Relax, you guys, it’ll be fine.” Beth says reassuringly as they pull up into a lane. “It’ll be fine, right?” She asks in the very next breath, looking over at Ruby anxiously. Annie leans forward and pats her shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze before letting go. 

“We haven’t done anything illegal—yet. Getting in is not the issue.” Annie points out. 

Beth nods, shoulders relaxing at Annie’s, surprising, logic. 

“Actually...” Ruby starts, trailing off as she clutches at her purse in her lap. 

Beth closes her eyes briefly, pushing down on the panic that is suddenly rising in her chest at that one word. “What do you mean, _actually_?” 

“I brought Stan’s gun.” She chokes out and Annie shrieks, “ _What?_ ” from the backseat at the same time Beth asks, “Stan owns a gun?” completely shocked. 

“He bought one awhile back, wanted to start practicing, getting better at shooting and more comfortable handling it.” Ruby explains, panic slowly creeping into her face and her words as they inch closer to the guard shack. “It’s not loaded.” She adds, almost as an afterthought. 

“Oh god, okay, _please_ don’t panic now. Deep breaths. It’s going to be okay. If we act calm and normal, they won’t have any reason to search us.” Beth says, a little frantic to believe her own words, her hand reaching over and shoving Ruby’s purse down by her feet. 

“Okay, okay, okay.” Ruby repeats, like a mantra, taking in deep breaths as instructed. Beth can hear Annie doing the same in the back. 

When it’s finally their turn, Beth plasters on her best fake smile, handing their passports over to the border agent with a chipper, “Hello! How are you?” 

He peeks into the car, carefully scanning each one of them, before inquiring about their plans. Beth forces some small ideal chit chat, and she _almost_ lets out a giant sigh of relief as he hands their passports back and waves them through. The whole exchange takes less than ten minutes. 

“ _Fuck_.” She lets out softly as the border crossing becomes smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, the further they drive away. 

When they finally pull up to the address, Beth is practically vibrating with nervous excitement. 

Except...it’s a _crafting store_. Like one of the one’s she would frequent back at home. What the hell would Rio have them picking up from here? 

Beth drives around back, where the loading dock is, and parks. She spots a guy with a clipboard in the middle of all the chaos, ordering people around. Beth looks down at the scrap of paper in her hand. 

_Big Mike._

That must be him. 

Beth clears her throat a little nervously. This guy is big and burly and he does not look very friendly. 

Annie leans forward, inserting herself in the space between Beth and Ruby’s seats. “Is that the guy?” 

“I think so.” 

There’s a restless quiet that settles between the three of them before Beth finally undoes her seat belt, adjusting her shirt where it had bunched up while driving. 

“Beth, are you sure?” Annie asks, hand coming down on her shoulder again, and Beth looks to her and then to Ruby. They’re both so worried, Beth almost falters, almost puts her seatbelt back on, almost abandons this whole absurd idea. 

But then she remembers the reason they’re here to begin with. Annie and the baby and the lawyer. 

And Rio. 

So instead, she straightens her shoulders and reaches for the door handle. “Yes, I’m sure.” 

Beth pictures it perfectly in her head—the way she’s going to confidently walk up to this guy. The way she’s going to say she’s here for the 1:45 pick up, that Rio sent her. How this guy is going to nod, go into the back and get whatever the hell they’re supposed to pick up, hand it over to her, and they’ll be on their way home. 

Of course, things can never work out that easily for them. 

What actually happens is—she gets out of the car, straightening herself to her full height, and immediately stumbles over her own two feet, losing a little bit of confidence with it, and then—it gets worse. She approaches him tentatively, letting him know she’s here for the 1:45 pickup. She’s polite and she uses her best unassuming smile. However, this guy does _not_ nod, he does _not_ go in the back, and he certainly does _not_ bring out any packages. 

What he does do, is look her up and down, decidedly unimpressed, before turning away with a blunt “Don’t got whatever you’re lookin’ for. Sorry.” 

He starts right back into shouting orders, flipping through the papers on his clipboard and Beth feels panic start to set in. She glances back at the car where Ruby and Annie are watching and waiting. Annie raises her arms up in a “well?” gesture and Beth just returns it, unsure of what the hell is going on. 

Beth clears her throat, for what feels like the hundredth time since she started talking to him, and steps a little closer. “Uh, excuse me...Big Mike. Maybe if you just looked for—” 

Big Mike whips back around, eyebrows pinched together, mouth twisted up in annoyance and Beth takes a step back. “Look, I don’t know what you think I got, but whatever it is, I can’t just magically pull it out of my ass, so you’re out of luck, sweetheart. Sorry.” He turns away, again, and Beth is torn between wanting to smack the back of his head and walking right past him to sort through all the boxes already sitting out. She quickly looks around at the handful of guys loading and unloading crates and bins and boxes and then turns and stalks off back to the car. 

“What the hell?” Annie asks as soon as she slides into the seat and pulls the door closed, a lot harder than is completely necessary. 

“He said he doesn’t have it.” 

“What does that even mean?” 

“That he apparently _doesn’t have it_.” Beth snaps, drumming her fingers along the steering wheel as her leg bounces. Her skin feels hot, prickly—her body feels unsettled. She’s pissed off. 

She’s working out scenarios in her head, trying to figure out how she can fix this, when Annie moves in the backseat, sliding over to the back passenger door on Beth’s side and popping it open. 

“Wait, what are you doing?” Beth asks, turning in her seat, exchanging a quick look with Ruby. 

“That prick has something, I guarantee it. You did your best baby girl, but you’re too soft.” 

Annie climbs out of the car even as Beth and Ruby protest and Beth blows out a puff of air as Annie slams the door shut with a flourish, marching straight up to Big Mike. Beth leans her head back against the headrest, closing her eyes and counting to ten. She runs through the list of reasons why it had been a good idea to bring her pregnant little sister and her best friend, with a cop in training boyfriend, on this trip. 

It’s an incredibly short list. 

“Oh god.” Beth hears Ruby mutter underneath her breath beside her and her eyes snap open, as she leans forward to look out the windshield. 

Annie’s in front of Big Mike and she looks like she’s...flirting? She’s rocking a little on her heels, head tilted to the side. He looks like he’s buying none of it though and Annie’s posture changes a little, she shrinks in on herself, looking down at the ground sheepishly, like she’s trying to play for sympathy maybe? 

Again, Big Mike is not having it and Annie finally gives up, stomping back to the car, getting in and slamming the door shut much in the same manner Beth had. 

“I don’t understand, I was so nice to him.” She huffs, hands flailing out in annoyance. 

“Alright, well obviously nice isn’t going to cut it.” Ruby’s been fairly quiet throughout, but it looks like she’s fed up with all of this. Beth watches as Ruby reaches into her purse and yanks out the gun and Beth and Annie both gasp, throwing their hands up, Annie’s “Whoa!” overlapping Beth’s “Are you serious?” 

“Relax, I’m just gonna scare him a little.” Ruby says, pushing her hair over her shoulder and Annie lets out a delighted giggle as she playfully pushes at Ruby’s shoulder. “Damn gangsta, look at you.” 

“I _cannot_ believe this.” Beth flusters. If she didn’t regret bringing them before, she definitely regrets it now. 

“I’ll be right back.” Ruby says, shifting to put the gun in her jacket pocket and then getting out of the car. 

“Third time’s a charm.” Annie is practically giddy with excitement and Beth watches apprehensively as Ruby marches up to Big Mike. She hears her start with, “So, _Mike_ , my friends here—” as she pulls the gun out of her jacket, but she’s abruptly cut off by a loud bang and Big Mike’s sudden pained screams piercing the air and it takes half a second for Beth to realize _the gun went off_ and Big Mike is grasping at his foot, writhing in pain on the floor. Beth and Annie shriek inside the car and Ruby’s eyes go wide as her body goes rigid, twisting to look at the girls, her mouth open in a silent scream. 

And then it’s not so silent, a high pitched screech leaving her lips, and Beth and Annie scramble out of the car and over toward them and the small crowd gathering around them. 

Beth’s hands come out to wrap around Ruby’s arms as soon as she’s close enough. “You shot him!” Beth gasps out, hand coming up to cover her mouth and Ruby turns to her, shock frozen over her features as she shakes her head vigorously, “I didn’t mean to!” 

“I thought you said it wasn’t loaded?” Annie yells as they all look down at Big Mike, clutching at his ankle, and his bloody boot. 

“I guess there was one in the chamber!” Ruby yells back and Beth shakes her hands out, bouncing in place as she tries to force a calm against the panic that’s trying to settle in again. 

“ _You shot me_!” Big Mike shouts, starting to look a little pale. 

“Oh, Big Mike.” Annie groans sympathetically. 

“What can I do, what can I do?” Ruby’s asks, frantic, surging forward, and Big Mike throws his hand up, waving her off. “Stay away from me, stay away from me!” Beth yanks Ruby back, as he continues, “Just get out of here. The boxes are back that way. Just take them and _leave_ , please!” 

They’re talking over themselves, a chorus of “ _Okay!"_ and _“We’re going now”_ and _“I am so sorry”_ ringing out as they scramble to get away from him and gather up the boxes to load into the SUV. 

They’re back in the car and headed back to the border crossing in record time, and it’s not until they’re almost there that Ruby finally breaks the silence that’s been hanging heavy between them since they left. 

“Dear Jesus, forgive me, I did not mean to shoot that guy.” She mumbles underneath her breath, almost like she’s talking to herself, and Beth reaches over and squeezes her hand. “It was barely a graze. Nothing a band aid couldn’t fix.” Beth tries to reassure her. 

“I mean, it was in the foot. And there was a lot of blood. He was screaming a lot.” Annie pipes in from the back. 

“He was being a baby. He’ll be fine.” 

“He probably won’t walk normal again for the rest of his life.” 

“Not helping Annie.” Beth hisses, turning to glare at her sister. 

“Oh god, _I shot that guy_.” Ruby moans, like she’s processing it all over again. 

“He’ll be _fine.”_ Beth stresses, because she needs to believe it too. 

“Physical therapy works wonders these days.” Annie says agreeably, patting Ruby on the shoulder. 

“Look, we’re almost at the border, we just need to get through this last part and we’ll be home. We need to be normal here, remember?” Beth says, hands gripping the steering wheel. 

Annie lets out a snort. “Oh, is shooting a guy and loading up a bunch of boxes full of illegal contraband to deliver across the border to your gang boyfriend _not_ _a_ _normal_ Saturday afternoon for you?” 

“Annie, please.” Beth moans, hand coming up to pinch at the bridge of her nose. 

By the time they reach the border again, Beth is feeling more than a little tense. She keeps glancing in the rearview mirror, keeps thinking about the boxes that are lined up in her trunk. About Big Mike screaming on the ground at his bloody foot. 

Beth tries to act as normal as possible when they pull up to the agent. She hands over their passports and he asks if they’ve made any purchases. 

“Yeah, a few.” She lets out a small laugh, like she’s embarrassed. “The craft stores are so much better out here. I usually buy in bulk.” She shrugs a little and he looks back towards the trunk of the car. 

“Do you have the receipts?” He asks, eyes back on her. 

“Of course!” Beth reaches into her pocket, pulling out the small stack of papers. 

The guard takes them from her, flipping through them, looking up at the girls every so often. 

“Alright, looks good, why don’t you pull up to inspection bay one, over there.” He says, handing their passports and the receipts back. 

“Oh, uhhh, over there?” Beth asks, eyes darting over to where he’s pointing, nerves kicking into overdrive. 

“Yup.” 

Beth gives him a weak smile and a quick nod before rolling her window back up and then letting out a shaky breath. 

_Shit_. 

“Oh god, what’re we going to do?” Annie moans from the backseat, hunching down as she wrings her shirt between her fingers. 

“I can’t go to jail. Stan will kill me.” Ruby says quietly, her hand gripping the side of the car door. 

“Nobody is going to jail.” Beth reassures them. 

Except, god, _were they_? 

She curses Rio for sending her on this run without telling her what the hell she was picking up and what the hell she was supposed to do if they got caught. 

Once they pull over and pile out of the car, two other agents come up to inspect the car, with dogs. 

_Shit, shit, shit_. 

“Hey, baby.” Annie coos at one of the dogs, leaning down to try and pet it, distract it, but the guard handling the dog pulls it away, glaring at Annie as he reprimands her, “Ma’am, don’t touch the dog.” Annie apologizes, shoving her hands in her pockets and shooting Beth an apprehensive look. 

“How long does this normally take?” Beth asks before the dog and his handler can get very far, desperate for another distraction, and the guy huffs out an annoyed breath and a, “As long as it takes.” before continuing on. 

The other agent is already over there, already has the trunk popped, is already opening the boxes in the back and sifting through them, glancing up at the girls several times during his inspection. The guy with the dog steps up, and Beth holds her breath as the dog sniffs at the contents, the agents looking on. 

It’s like time slows down and Beth can just picture in her head- the dog barking, alerting his handler to whatever illicit thing Rio had packed up in those boxes. The agents coming over and putting all three of them in handcuffs, and hauling them off to jail. And, _god_ , pregnant Annie in jail? The thought makes her stomach turn. 

But then, the dog _doesn’t_ bark. The guards _are_ approaching them, but only to let them know they’re all clear to go. 

It’s the closest Beth’s ever come to passing out. 

It’s not until they’re on the outskirts of home that Beth pulls off to the side of the road and they all rush around to the back, to the trunk, flinging the boxes open and sifting through their contents, just like the guard had done. 

“It’s just...rolls of _wrapping paper_?” The shock and astonishment in Annie’s voice is apparent, and Beth could almost laugh because it’s written all over her face as well. 

“Was this some sort of test?” Ruby asks, pulling out a few tubes and Annie takes them from her, tipping them this way and that, squinting down the empty middle of them like drugs will magically appear out of thin air if she stares hard enough. “What the fuck.” She mutters, like she’s _mad_ there's nothing there. 

Beth grabs one of the rolls from Annie, and tears the shrink wrap off the tube, unrolling the gift wrap, stretching it out between her hands. 

It’s Christmas themed, red with white snowmen and reindeer. Which is an odd choice since it’s nowhere near Christmas. 

“It’s just gift wrap.” Beth mutters, shaking her head in disbelief as she lowers the roll, her mind on Rio. 

Why the hell would he send her out for gift wrap? 

She’s just about to ask that out loud when she finally catches the look on Annie and Ruby’s faces. They’re staring, transfixed, at the paper between her hands and her eyes drop back down to it. “What—” 

Beth trails off as she turns the paper in her hands and her heart stops for a second. 

It’s a sheet of hundred dollar bills. 

Fake cash. 

Like what he ran through his businesses. 

Beth glances over at the boxes. There’s a lot of wrapping paper there. 

_A lot._

Beth’s phone suddenly buzzes in her pocket and she almost drops the roll in her hands. 

Shit, that’s just what she needs. Letting a roll of Rio’s funny money blow away down the side of the highway. 

A near hysterical laugh tries to force its way out and Beth presses her lips tightly together as she rolls the wrapping paper back up and shoves it back in the box. 

Beth gestures for Annie and Ruby to do the same with the tubes they have in their hands and then pulls her phone out of her pocket. 

It’s a text from an unknown number. 

An address. 

It’s one of the warehouses she’s been to already, she knows how to get there, so she deletes the text and puts her phone back in her pocket. 

“We have to go.” She says, avoiding Annie and Ruby’s inquiring eyes, closing the trunk and heading back around to the driver’s side. 

Once they’re settled back in the car, it’s Annie who breaks first. Of course. 

“So, are we gonna talk about the rolls of fake cash in the back or no?” 

Beth shifts in her seat, sparing a quick glance at Ruby. 

She doesn’t look happy, but she’s considerably less freaked out then when she thought it was drugs. 

“I don’t exactly know what the whole process is with this stuff.” And that’s the truth. She hasn’t been directly involved in any of the actual illegal aspects of Rio’s life. They’d been carefully toeing that line for a while now, Beth slowly inching closer, her curiosity becoming stronger with every step. But every time Beth got _too_ close, Rio threw up a surprise obstacle, blocking her from moving forward. It was a frustrating little dance between the two of them. 

“Well, what _exactly_ are we supposed to be doing with them?” Annie asks. 

“We’re dropping them off.” 

“Where?” 

And that question is answered a half an hour later, when they pull up to the dark and deserted looking warehouse. 

“ _Awesome_.” Annie says, voice dripping with sarcasm. 

“Oh, come on, like you didn’t drag me to one of these not too long ago so you could get drunk and laid.” Beth retorts and Annie concedes her point with a purse of her lips and a curt nod. 

Ruby snorts out a laugh next to her and Beth grins as she looks at her. 

“So, what now?” Annie asks, just as the rolling door to the warehouse is opened up. 

There are two guys standing on the other side, motioning for her to drive forward, so Beth does, following their signals as they lead her forward and then signal for her to stop. They both head around to the back of the SUV so Beth pops the trunk. Then her, Ruby, and Annie all climb out again. 

The warehouse is...well it’s nothing like the last time she was here. 

There are people, machinery, equipment, and fake cash everywhere. The place is lit up like a Christmas tree and the air is heady with the smell of ink, metal, and chemicals. The two guys who had let them in come up from the back of the car with boxes and Beth tracks them with her eyes. Watches them take the boxes and stack them on a pallet next to a table, a few people on either side sorting through each box, sending the sorted wrapping paper off to the next station and the next, until it’s no longer wrapping paper. It’s money. 

The sheer scale of this whole operation is kind of breathtaking. 

And there, right in the middle of it all, is Rio. 

He’s observing a guy separating the fake money from the wrapping paper. They’re talking and laughing, like they’re shooting the shit in some standard office setting and not out in the middle of nowhere in some shady ass warehouse, breaking the law. 

The warehouse is full of noise and distraction and people but Rio has this... _magnetism_ about him _,_ this aura that commanded attention, that pulled your eyes to him and stuck. 

Beth is stuck. 

He’s wearing a dark blue button up and dark jeans. His sleeves are rolled up and it reminds Beth of New Year’s Eve and she flushes a little as she thinks about how she wanted to sink her teeth into his forearm then, and how she still wants to now. 

He’s turning away now, stepping up to a table in the back where a group of women are sorting the finished product into stacks. 

Beth takes a step forward without thinking, that surge of tension that’s constantly flowing between them pulling taut. 

“Beth?” 

Ruby’s voice stops Beth mid step, shaking her out of her haze, bringing her attention back to them. 

“Did you know about this?” Ruby whispers, hands clasped together in front of her as her eyes dart around. 

And Beth gets it—gets the apprehension and the uncertainty. 

Gets the thrill and the danger too. 

Beth shakes her head, to clear those sudden intrusive thoughts, and also as an answer to Ruby’s question. “No, no he’s never shown me any of this.” 

“So, what do we do now?” Annie asks and she actually looks like she wouldn’t mind sticking around. 

Beth turns her head, looking over her shoulder, back to where she’d last seen Rio. But he’s not there anymore, and she can’t locate him anywhere else in the mess of activity currently happening around them. 

“I guess we leave.” Beth says with a shrug, and the girls both nod, turning back to the car, but Beth is stopped short by a hand at her arm. She stiffens slightly as she looks up and over, but relaxes almost instantly when she sees it’s Cisco. 

He drops his hand as soon as he has her attention, a sheepish smile on his face. “’Ey, Belle Starr, Rio wants to see you.” 

Well—shit. 

Beth’s taken aback by the nickname, heart rate kicking up a notch as her mind goes straight to Big Mike on the ground, blood staining his shoe. She hears Ruby let out a tiny squeak as her eyes sweep out across the warehouse again, before landing back on Cisco. “Did he tell you to come out here and call me that?” 

Cisco lets out a sharp laugh, shrugging his shoulder as he rocks back on his heels. “I think we both know the answer to that.” 

Beth rolls her eyes but uncertainty crashes through her like a tidal wave. She can’t believe word got back to him this fast. Had the story gotten twisted on the way, and he thought Beth had pulled the trigger? She was fine with that assumption—if he was on the warpath, she would rather it be directed at her than Ruby. The uncertainty she’s feeling must be plain as day on her face because Cisco waves his hand behind him and up to the left, where a set of offices are. “He’s up there with someone right now. I can take you up so you can wait.” 

Beth hesitates still, turning and looking at Ruby and Annie, waiting by their open doors. 

She could just ignore him and leave now. She’s still mad about him not telling her what they were picking up, essentially hanging them out to dry. Why should she stick around to be lectured about a job he hadn’t adequately prepared them for? 

But she just _cannot_ force herself to leave. 

“Here,” She says, handing the keys over to Ruby, “Take the car to a car wash, clean it out thoroughly, and wipe down everything after you drop it back off at the café. Dean will be picking it up tomorrow.” 

“B—” 

“It’s fine. I’ll be fine.” The guilt and worry marring Ruby’s features hurts Beth, burns in her chest. She hugs them both, whispering extra assurances into Ruby’s ear before letting her go. She waves goodbye as she watches them leave. 

Beth follows Cisco through the warehouse, taking everything in on the way, trying to absorb as much detail as possible. 

He leads her up the set of stairs, Beth gripping the railing as she goes, the steps wobbling a little beneath her feet. She feels a flutter of nerves in the pit of her stomach the closer they get to the top, to the set of offices there. 

Why did he want to see her? What was he going to say? Do? 

Where did they go from here? 

They reach the landing and Cisco pivots to the left and Beth follows, almost running into him when he stops abruptly a few feet down the hall. 

“See you around.” He says, turning on his heel and going back the way they came, leaving her standing outside one of the office doors. It’s closed, so Beth is assuming she’s supposed to wait? 

_Okay._

“Hey.” 

Beth jerks around, eyes falling on the source of the deep playful voice behind her. And it’s disconcerting, for a minute, how much this guy reminds her of Rio. 

He looks young, maybe around Annie’s age. He’s got miles of tan skin littered with tattoos and thick glossy black hair and deep set dark brown eyes. But it’s not his looks that evoke a sense of Rio, he actually looks nothing like him. 

It’s his... _energy_. He’s sitting on the floor, legs stretched out in front of him, twirling his phone in his hand casually. His whole posture is laid back and relaxed, but there’s this vibrating restlessness right below the surface. His eyes are bright and intense and hyper focused on her. 

Beth takes several steps closer, leaning her shoulder against the wall opposite him. “Hi.” 

“You in trouble too?” He asks, mischievous glint to his eye and grin. He has dimples. 

Beth huffs out a laugh, glancing back toward the office door, before sliding down the wall, careful not to touch any exposed skin to the disgusting carpet, until she’s seated with her legs crossed. “Always.” She replies and his grin widens. 

“Lucas.” He introduces himself and Beth nods and returns the introduction. “Beth.” 

“So, what’re you in for?” He asks, shifting his weight, bringing a leg up to bend at the knee, resting his forearm on it. Beth’s eyes drop to the tattoos there. He has a full sleeve on one arm and two black bands on the other. The bands remind her of Rio’s black bars. 

His arm twitches slightly and Beth’s eyes snap back up to his and she flushes when she realizes he’s noticed her staring. 

“I’m sorry—” 

“Nah, it’s cool. You got a thing for tattoos? That your kink?” 

Beth’s flush deepens, her face feeling unbearably hot, and she can tell he’s delighted at her discomfort. 

_God_ , he reminds her so much of Rio. 

“And what’s yours? Being salacious towards girls you don’t know?” Beth retorts, tone dripping with condescension. 

“Oh, _salacious_ , what is that, a ten point word?” 

“Eleven.” Beth shoots back smugly and Lucas tilts his head back and laughs and Beth can’t help but smile. He’s kind of a dick, but he’s a charming dick. 

“Well...?” He asks, gesturing to the office door, bringing them back to his original inquiry. 

Beth eyes him off, unsure if she should be sharing anything with him. She has no idea who this guy is. 

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” He teases, noting her hesitance. 

“Okay, you first.” Beth laughs out, even as she shakes her head. 

“My brother, Seb, sent me out to run an errand and I fucked it up.” 

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” 

“It is when it involves ten grand and it’s not the first time it’s happened.” Despite the seemingly seriousness of said fuck up, Lucas seems unbothered. “Now you.” 

“My friend shot a guy in the foot.” Beth finally admits. 

“Oh, no shit?” Lucas seems mildly impressed. 

“It was an accident.” Beth clarifies. 

“Might go over better if you say it was intentional.” 

Beth snorts out a laugh. “Thanks for the advice.” 

Just then the door to the office opens and a breathtakingly gorgeous guy that must be Lucas’ older brother (Seb, he’d called him) steps out, followed closely by Rio and Mick. 

And— _god_ , was everyone involved with Rio tattooed and good looking? Was this a requirement to be a part of the gang? Could you not get in unless you had a baby face and incredibly toned body? 

It was starting to get ridiculous. 

All three of them are silently staring down at Beth and Lucas stretched out across the hallway. Mick’s face is predictably impassive (he’s a master at schooling his features, even more so than Rio), Seb looks incredibly annoyed, and Rio looks mildly surprised, but highly amused. 

So, pretty much how he normally reacts to her. 

“Let’s go.” Seb jerks his head toward the stairs, turning and stalking off without waiting for Lucas to follow, and Lucas pops up off the ground gracefully, a whispered “ _Good luck_.” thrown her way before he disappears down the hall after his brother. Rio gives Mick an almost imperceptible nod and he promptly follows the brothers out. 

Beth’s become increasingly fascinated by Rio and Mick’s...well she’s not exactly sure _what_ to call it. Their connection certainly ran deeper than friendship. Deeper than family even. She supposes she could say Mick is to Rio what Ruby is to Beth. 

“Makin’ friends I see.” Rio says, voice on the mocking side and Beth tears her gaze away from the stairs to glare up at him. 

“If you don’t want me talking to anyone, you shouldn’t leave me sitting out in the hallway like I've been called to the principal's office.” She snaps, ignoring his now outstretched hand to push herself up off the floor. She winces at the way her fingers sink into the carpet and she quickly wipes her hands off on her jeans with a small shudder as soon as she’s standing. 

She hears him let out a low sigh as she pushes past him and into the office, crossing the room to the set of windows on the far wall, overlooking the whole operation going on downstairs. 

The sheer scale of it from up above is even more overwhelming than when she was in the thick of it. 

“Who are all these people?” Beth asks, eyes sweeping over each individual person. There seems to be no common link between them—old, young, man, woman—they were all here. 

“Don’t matter.” 

Beth turns at his clipped tone, sees him leaning back against his desk, looking deceptively relaxed. 

She knows better. 

“So, Lucas seems pretty nice—” 

“Where’d the gun come from, Elizabeth?” 

And, there it is. 

“I guess word does travel fast in the crime world.” Beth mutters underneath her breath, but Rio’s humorless chuckle lets her know he heard. 

“Wanna explain to me how one of my connects ended up with a bullet in his foot?” 

“Nope.” She snaps back, popping the ‘P’ at the end just to really dig underneath his skin. 

“This aint a god damn game, Elizabeth.” 

“Oh yeah? Because throwing me off the deep end and forcing me to sink or swim wasn’t a god damn game?” 

Rio scrubs a hand over his face before letting out another put upon sigh. ”Where’d the gun come from?” 

“Why does that matter? Aren’t you going to ask why we needed to use it to begin with?” 

“Nuh, ‘cause I don’t recall tellin’ you to take one in the first place.” 

“It doesn’t matter. We had it, your connect tried to screw us, and he got shot.” She straightens her shoulders as she says it, trying to stand tall and firm, but her voice wavers at the end. 

Rio’s quiet for a moment, looking her over carefully, like he’s trying to read her, trying to fit the pieces of this disjointed story together. “What do you mean, he screwed you?” 

His voice is eerily calm, controlled, but just barely, and Beth freezes. 

Because she knows better. 

_Fuck._

“I handled it.” Beth says evenly, refusing to answer his question. 

Rio scoffs at that, nodding his head as he looks off to the side, rocking his jaw forward a bit. “Your girlfriend can’t be out there shooting people in the fuckin’ foot.” 

“It was an accident!” 

“There shouldn’t _be_ any accidents when you have a gun, darlin’, that’s the fuckin’ problem here.” 

Lucas’ advice about claiming it was intentional flashes back in her mind. 

Because he’d rather they shoot people on purpose apparently. 

“You can’t...” Beth stops, sucks in a breath as her eyes drop to the floor, “you _can’t_ send me out there with half assed information and then get mad when something goes wrong.” 

“Oh, so this is my fault.” 

“Yes!” She snaps, fire in her eyes as they flick back up to meet his. “I can be good at this; you just have to _let me._ You said you were going to teach me, so _teach me_.” 

Rio’s quiet for a moment, then he pushes off the desk and strides over to the window, peering down at the scene below. 

“Whose SUV was that?” 

Beth stiffens slightly at the shift in topic, at the inquiry itself. She didn’t think he’d seen them when they first came in. So, of course that meant he _had_. 

“I borrowed it.” She answers curtly, shifting on her feet as she watches him. 

She can see the slight shift in his body, the way his shoulders roll back, and she has to resist the urge to run her hands over them and down his back, just to feel the tense muscles ripple underneath her fingers. Because she knows she can disarm him with her touch, make all that tension go away, even if just for a fleeting moment. 

“From who?” 

His voice breaks her out of her thoughts and she thinks about lying for a second, but decides to go with the truth. 

Because she knows, even though he’s playing through with this little interrogation scene, he already knows the answer to his own question. 

“From Dean.” 

Rio turns to her then and she can see the frustration he’s feeling with her in the furrow of his brow and the twist of his lips, the way his hands are balled into fists at his sides. 

“You went to that dumbass with my business.” 

“No, an opportunity presented itself in the form of that dumbass and I took it. He doesn’t know anything about anything, there’s no record or paper trail, and the girls are wiping it clean before returning it.” 

Beth watches as the frustration gives way to surprise and then morphs into a begrudging respect. But only for the briefest of moments before that neutral mask of his slides firmly back in place. “You got it all figured out, huh?” 

“Not all of it.” Beth says, taking a deep breath before closing the distance between them, so close her breasts brush against his chest and she sees the slight flex of his jaw, the quick rise and fall of his chest as he sucks in a breath, the movement of his adams apple as he swallows thickly. “I want you to teach me...how to use a gun.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth grapples with her feelings over embedding herself deeper in Rio's life.  
> Dean tries to insert himself back into Beth's personal life.  
> Stan gives Beth an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks x1000 to medievalraven for being an amazing support person every time I throw a messy chapter at her and run away screaming.  
> I'm over on tumblr @sdktrs12, if you wanna chat about GG or the two impossible idiots that make up Brio.

Beth stares up at the ceiling, wide awake despite the late hour. It’s dark in Rio’s loft, but all of the window curtains are still partially open from earlier in the day, and the light leaking in from the street casts shadows everywhere. 

She strains to hear the outside world trying to leak in as well—the cars and the people and the faint whistle of the wind. 

Beth’s been finding it hard to sleep since she’d entangled herself deeper in Rio’s crime life. 

Well, not the actual sleeping part exactly, but the _trying_ to fall asleep. 

It invades her constantly—her body feels jittery, her mind is restless. 

Is this what Rio feels like every day? It’s _exhausting_. 

Beth turns her head to look at Rio, fast asleep next to her. 

He looks...peaceful. 

It’s such a sharp contrast to the electric undercurrent that’s constantly vibrating through him, making him restless with energy during the day. 

He sleeps so much better than she does. 

Beth turns her head back up to look at the ceiling with a heavy sigh. 

She has class tomorrow _and_ a shift at the café and if she doesn’t get some sleep, she’s going to be dragging at both. 

Despite that thought and the yawn that follows, Beth sits up, running her hands through her hair a few times before gathering it up and letting it fall over one shoulder so she can rub her hand freely over the back of her neck. 

She is definitely not falling asleep any time soon. 

Beth carefully pushes the sheet and comforter off her body, and swings her legs over the side of the bed, wincing slightly as her bare feet touch the cold floor. She chances a quick look over her shoulder at Rio, but he hasn’t moved a muscle. 

She quietly slides off the bed, shuffling over to the living room area to slip on her flats and grab her zip up hoodie, throwing it on over her pajamas before tip toeing over to the fire escape window on the other side of the loft. 

She flips the lock at the top and then brings her hands down, fingers hooking underneath the window rail and pulling up. Beth flinches at the faint squeaking noise as the window slides up and she holds her breath as she looks over her shoulder again, checking to make sure the noise didn’t wake Rio. 

Beth squints a little to see him in the dark, but it doesn’t look like he’s moved much and she can _just_ make out the slow steady movement of his chest with every breath he takes. 

She doesn’t want to risk pushing the window open any further, but luckily there’s enough space that she can shimmy through, so she does, leaving it open behind her. She pushes herself up to stand on the small grated platform, and steps up to the metal railing, leaning her arms against it to look out over the street. 

It’s relatively quiet, save for a few cars and a scattering of other people out on their balconies/fire escapes, drinking or talking or just sitting. 

Beth breathes in deeply, holding it until it hurts before letting it out slowly, shivering a little with the cool breeze. 

It feels good. 

The quiet and the cold and the hurt in her chest—it feels _good_. 

It grounds her. It calms her nerves. It keeps that restless prickly feeling (the one that makes her want to crawl out of her skin) at bay. 

That restless feeling that hasn’t settled since she’d come back from Canada. Since she’d asked him to teach her how to use a gun. 

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, after what had happened with Big Mike. It had made sense when Rio had said there shouldn't _be_ any accidents with a gun involved. He had one. He knew how to use one. She hadn’t ever planned on her or Ruby or Annie actually using one, but out of the three of them, it made sense that _she_ would be the one to learn. 

But now she’s realizing, the more immersed she becomes in Rio’s world, the harder it is to hold all of those feelings back. 

He’s always kept her on edge, always tested her limits, but once she started toeing that line, once she jumped over it with both feet when they robbed that grocery store, when they crossed that border, she feels like something’s trying to burst out of her. 

She’s not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but she _is_ sure that she’s as terrified as she is excited at the possibility of finding out. 

Beth shifts, straightening up and wrapping her arms around herself as another chill travels down her spine. 

She startles though, when she hears a light tapping at the window behind her and she whirls around to see Rio on the other side of the glass. 

She watches as he pushes the window up a bit more and climbs out onto the platform next to her. 

He’s thrown on some sweatpants but no shirt and Beth bites her tongue against scolding him on being half dressed out in the cold. He’s like a furnace anyway, always running hot, so she doubts the chill bites at him the same way it does her. 

“What’re you doin’ out here?” Rio asks, stepping close and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her in close to his chest and Beth stiffens slightly before slowly relaxing into him, her eyes closing as she lets his heat envelope her. 

“Couldn’t sleep.” She mumbles, turning her head slightly at the end so her lips graze against his skin and she feels Rio shiver against her. The corner of her mouth twitches up as she looks up at him. 

“Think I could help with that.” He murmurs, leaning down to brush his nose with hers and Beth smiles. 

“Oh yeah? Like, by making me some tea or—” Rio cuts her off with a kiss and Beth laughs against his mouth, pulling back and placing her hands against his chest, pushing him back slightly. 

“ _You_ should be asleep.” Beth admonishes. She knows he gets even less sleep than she does. 

“Yeah? So should you. C’mon.” Rio wraps his hand around her wrist and tugs her back toward the window and Beth follows. He climbs back into the loft through the window first, then turns and helps her slide back in too. Rio shuts and locks it, pulling the curtains closed the rest of the way. Beth yawns as she walks over to the living room, unzipping her hoodie and pulling it off, folding it over the arm of the couch and then slipping her shoes off. 

She’s about to turn around and head back to bed when Rio slips into place behind her, pressing up against her back, arms wrapping around her as he nuzzles her neck. 

Beth leans back into him, closing her eyes as she lets out a soft sigh. 

She really can’t get over the way her body automatically responds to his touch like this. The way she wants nothing more than to melt into him, to give herself over to him completely. 

“You really want some tea?” He asks, nipping at her ear and Beth smiles as she reaches back and slides her hand over the back of his neck, tilting her head to the side to look at him. “I really want you.” She says, applying slight pressure with her hand and he takes the hint, leaning his head down and capturing her lips with his. 

She knows she’s going to regret it in the morning when she has to go to class, to work, but right now, in this moment, Beth happily lets Rio take her back to bed. 

\------ 

Beth brings her hand up to cover her mouth as she tries to stifle yet another yawn. She’s waiting in line at the coffee cart on campus, and if she had the energy, she’d really consider murdering all of the people in front of her to get to the desperately needed caffeine sooner. 

She shuffles forward a few feet as the line finally moves, fingers coming up to rub at her eyes and then pinch at the bridge of her nose. 

The sun is too bright and the air is too crisp and she thinks she hates this day with a burning passion already. 

She’s going to be late at this point, but she can’t force herself to walk away from the coffee cart, can’t imagine how she’ll be able to function in class without a little boost. 

Her phone buzzes in her pocket and Beth groans, but pulls it out anyway and squints down at the screen. 

It’s a group message from Annie wanting to set up girls night with wine and virgin margaritas. Which usually means she has something to get off her chest. 

And all Beth wants to do is sleep. 

She _does_ need to talk to the girls though. They still think the Canada job was a one time thing. And it _was_. They have enough money for the lawyer and, if they stretch it, enough for the baby(for now), but... 

Beth knows they’ll eventually need more, and they’ll be back in the exact same position they were before. But if they do another job for Rio...like washing some of the cash they had picked up for him... 

Beth shoots back a quick ‘maybe’ text, thinking about the best way to approach them with this new idea. She needs to have a plan. Like how they were going to wash the cash. When it’s finally her turn to order, she makes sure to add a few extra shots of espresso to her drink, and then steps off to the side to wait. 

She’s just stepped into the shade of a nearby tree, wondering if she’d had the foresight to leave a pair of sunglasses in her bag, when she spots Dean and Aaron get in line at the coffee cart. Beth quickly turns away, pulling her phone back out and fiddling with it, pretending to be preoccupied. 

Her brain feels like mush right now and she doesn’t think she can deal with either one of them today. Especially Dean. She hasn’t seen or spoken to him since she borrowed the SUV from his dad’s dealership. 

Beth’s eyes dart over to the cart and she sees the barista finishing up her drink. She goes up and around to the other side, avoiding a direct path around Dean and Aaron, reaching the barista just in time, before she can call her name out. She’s just turning away when she accidentally makes eye contact with Dean. He lifts his hand in greeting, which causes Aaron to turn as well. 

Beth lifts her coffee to Dean, returning his greeting and ignoring Aaron completely. Before she can make a move to escape though, Dean steps toward her and Beth hesitates. She _should_ walk away now, she doesn’t owe him anything—especially her time. 

Except now she’s waited too long, forced politeness freezing her in place, and he’s already halfway to her, Aaron watching from their place in line. 

“Hey.” He greets her, more than a little awkwardly. Beth fidgets with her bag strap, eyes on the ground as she toes a crack in the sidewalk with her shoe. “Hi.” 

“So, how’s everything going? How did things go the...uh other day?” 

Beth stares up at Dean, temporarily at a loss as to what the hell he could be talking about, before she realizes he’s trying to dig about the SUV. 

“What other day?” She asks, feigning ignorance as she watches him shift nervously on his feet. He glances around before leaning in, like they’re having some sort of conspiratorial meeting. She resists the urge to roll her eyes. 

“You know, when you took one of my dad's cars. What exactly did you use it for, Bethie?” 

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.” 

“It’s my business if you’re—” He cuts off, glancing around again and Beth lets out an impatient sigh, “doing _illegal_ things with it.” 

“Dean, what are you even talking about?” She asks, eyebrows snapping together as her face twists up in confusion. He at least looks like he’s buying it, eyes filling with sympathy and pity. It makes her stomach twist. 

“Bethie, I know things— about who your boyfriend is.” He says, posture going rigid at the word ‘boyfriend’ and Beth wants to smack him. 

She tilts her head to the side, quietly examining him. “Is that right?” She doesn’t bother correcting him on the ‘boyfriend’ part, but she is curious to see where he’s taking this. 

“Beth, I know this is hard to hear, but that dude is super shady. Like, he should be in jail shady.” he pauses, thinking that over before adding, “He probably _has_ been to jail. People like him like to take advantage of people like you.” 

“People like me?” Beth asks icily, but if Dean notices her change in demeanor, it doesn’t stop him from digging himself deeper. 

“You know, people who don’t know any better.” 

Beth nods, looking off to the side, watching Aaron place their orders at the coffee cart. “So, you think he’s using me to carry out nefarious deeds on his behalf?” Beth asks, widening her eyes a bit as she looks up at him, lips parting slightly. “You know, you’re probably right,” she continues, fingers coming up to tap at her mouth thoughtfully, “I should’ve known something was up when he had me pick up hookers and blow in that car you gave me. Silly stupid me thought nothing of it though.” 

Dean balks, flinching as he straightens up and away from her, like the sharp sarcastic edge to her words have cut him. “Okay, that’s not what I meant—” 

“Oh no?” 

Beth sees Aaron approach out of the corner of her eye and she feels her annoyance increase tenfold. 

“Dean, I’m not the same person I was when we were together. Hell, I’ve _never_ been that person. No one’s taking advantage of me, especially Rio. Whatever I do, it’s by _choice_.” 

“Look, I’m just worried about you, Bethie. I don’t... _get it._ You and him. And I'm trying to, but it’s like you’re losing your god damn mind. You know this guy is bad news—” 

“Hey, everything okay over here?” Aaron steps up next to Dean, glancing between the two of them, curious expression on his face. 

“Everything's fine.” Beth says smiling automatically, but it falters a bit with the ebb and flow of her anger. “I was actually just leaving.” 

“Beth—” Dean starts but she’s already turning away, past her tolerance at civility for the day. 

She ignores Dean’s calls, anger still fueling her, power walking across campus to make it to her class. 

She tries to slip in as quickly and quietly as possible once she gets there, but the history professor shoots her a look that lets her know she’s failed. Beth ducks her head ashamedly as she pulls her supplies out and settles in, pushing all thoughts of Dean out of her mind. 

Her eyes start to feel heavy halfway through class despite the sips of cappuccino she’s sneaking in and Beth tries to put all of her focus on the professor, widening her eyes until they start to water in an effort to keep them open. It’s mostly a review class today and Beth wonders if she could’ve skipped it entirely and snuck in a nap before her shift instead. 

Beth breathes a sigh of relief when class is finally over and she gathers up her things, dragging herself back outside and groaning once again at how bright everything is. She feels like she’s nursing a hangover. 

She’s digging through her bag, hoping to magic her sunglasses out of thin air, as she’s walking to her car and really—she should know better. But she is somehow still surprised when she runs smack dab into someone else, her bag falling off her shoulder and hitting the ground, scattering its contents all over the pavement between two cars. 

“I am so sorry—” Beth starts, and then cuts off with a triumphant little squeak as she sees her sunglasses that have skittered across the concrete and into the curb at the sidewalk. 

She makes a grab for them, sliding them onto her face and letting out a content sigh. 

Beth turns back to her things, and finally sees who it was she bumped into. 

“Stan! I didn’t see you—” 

“Not a problem, you okay?” Stan asks, already crouched down to gather up her things and Beth drops down next to him to do the same. 

“Physically? Yes.” Beth mumbles and Stan laughs as he glances over at her. He hands her the papers and pens he’s gathered and Beth shoves them back in her bag. 

“Where you headed?” He asks as they both stand, Beth adjusting her bag back onto her shoulder and Stan picking up the duffle bag and totes he’d dropped. 

“Honestly, I’m trying to work out if I have enough time to go home and take a nap before my shift.” 

“I say there is _always_ time to take a nap.” 

Beth smiles, glancing down at his various bags. “You headed to the gym?” 

“Yeah, gotta make these returns first.” 

Beth’s eyes slide from the bags over to Stan’s popped trunk next to them, noting some very familiar looking party supplies. 

“Didn’t you guys use all those for that party a few days ago?” Beth asks curiously. 

“Yeah,” he confirms, sheepishly, “sometimes we skip renting and just buy and return.” 

“Seriously?” Beth laughs, eyebrows raised. 

“Yeah, last week we bought that huge bouncy house and then returned it two days later. Cloud 9 is pretty chill with their returns. We just make sure to use cash so we don’t have to wait for the refund to hit the bank.” 

“Really?” Beth says, mind working a mile a minute. Could they use this? Buy with fake cash and return for real? She bites at her lip, thinking it over, so suddenly lost in thought that she doesn’t hear what Stan is saying until he’s repeating her name, trying to catch her attention again. 

“I’m sorry,” She says, refocusing on him, “Lack of sleep is kind of turning me into a zombie.” 

“Go home, get some sleep.” Stan instructs, closing his trunk and squeezing her arm before they exchange goodbyes. 

Beth gets in her car with a new plan in place. No time for sleep, she has some research to do. 

\----- 

It’s getting late, almost closing time, and Beth can’t wait for this day to end. To go home, take a bath, have a glass (or three) of whatever alcohol she can scrounge up, and then hopefully pass out. 

“Hey, boss?” 

Beth rolls her eyes, but can’t help the small smile that crosses her lips as she turns to the voice coming from the office doorway. 

Eddie’s leaning his shoulder into the door jamb, twisting his work apron between his hands. 

“I really wish you wouldn’t call me that. It’s... _weird_.” Beth laughs out, standing up from her seat and tapping on her phone’s screen to check the time. “Just ‘Beth’ is fine.” 

He’d gotten into the habit of calling her ‘boss’, even before he’d started working at the café several weeks ago. 

Annie had been dropping by frequently, accompanied by him and Nancy and they made an...interesting trio, to say the least. Annie had said his sister was pregnant too, further along than Annie, and he liked to keep her up to date on what she could expect next. He was really sweet, though rough around the edges. And it was ultimately Annie’s suggestion (“He’s helping his sister out too, he could probably use the extra money.”) that prompted Beth to take action. 

Eddie nods, gaze steady on her and Beth shifts back a little. She doesn’t know if she’ll ever get used to how _bright_ his eyes are. How...steady and _intense_ they become when he focuses on...well, anything really. 

“Got Ely an Steph out there cleaning up, you good if I head out a lil early? Got some business ta handle.” 

And—right. 

When she’d bribed Eddie into coming and working at the café, she’d (mostly) made peace with the fact that she’d be sharing him with Rio. 

It had been a pretty big point of contention between the two of them, after Rio had found out. 

( _“Wanna tell me why Eddie bounced early today ‘cause he said he had a_ **_shift_ ** _on campus?” Rio asked as soon as he walked into her apartment, the word ‘shift’ rolling off his tongue like a curse word._

_“You knew I was looking for extra help. He’s my extra help.” Beth said with a shrug of her shoulder, getting up from her spot on the couch to walk back to her room. She knew where their conversation was headed, had known it was coming the second she’d snatched Eddie up, and she wanted to contain the inevitable argument in the semi-privacy of her bedroom, knowing the girls and Stan would be home soon._

_Rio followed, shutting and locking the door behind them as soon as he’d cleared the threshold. He stayed close to the door, leaning against it, arms behind his back as he’d silently regarded her and Beth crossed her own arms over her chest, instantly feeling defensive at his unnerving perusal._

_“Do you have a problem?” She asked, feeling her shoulders tense up, that tension quickly working its way down her body. She tried to force herself to relax, to untwist all the emotional chords that wrought up inside whenever he was close. Her jaw remained clenched._

_“Yeah, it’s a problem havin’ you nick my employees.”_

_Beth rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Are you serious? First of all, I would hardly call what he does for you_ **_employment_ ** _. Second of all, he came willingly.”_

_And—that hadn’t been entirely truthful. She’d lured him in with promises of free drinks and snacks and lots of cute co-eds to flirt with. She thinks it was probably the last bit that sealed the deal._

_“Oh yeah? So, you tellin’ me you didn’t bat those big blues to help persuade ‘im?”_

_“No,” Beth denied, lifting her chin and pursing her lips, before adding, “I only do that with you.”_

_“Yeah? What about that pretty lil pout you do? That only for me too?” He asked, pushing himself off the door and Beth felt the tension and heat pool quickly in her belly._

_She only nodded in answer, not trusting her voice, and he let out a low little hum that had Beth squirming._

_But he’d seemed to be softening to her somewhat with her comments, which she’d taken as a good sign._

_Now she could go in for the kill._

_Beth dropped her arms, her hands playing with the hem of her oversized tee and Rio’s eyes followed the movement, just like she knew they would. “We can split custody. Sixty/forty.”_

_Rio huffed out a laugh then, ambling toward her, and Beth backed up until her knees hit her bed. “Your math’s all wrong, darlin’.”_

_“Oh?” Beth quirked an eyebrow, tilting her head up to look at him. “You finance majors always think you’re superior when it comes to numbers.”_

_He’d swatted her hands away from the hem of her shirt then, replacing hers with his. His fingers slipped underneath and brushed across her skin before hooking into the waistband of her jeans. “You always tryin’ to steal from me.” He said, fingers deftly popping open the button there._ ) 

Beth shivers at the memory, mentally shaking herself out of it, feeling flush with embarrassment at getting hot and bothered in front of Eddie. 

“Yup, go ahead. Have fun.” The words are out before she realizes ‘fun’ may not be the right word to use, but Eddie just smirks as he gives her a quick nod and then he’s gone. 

She quickly cleans up the desk so she can go out front and help Ely and Steph finish up. 

Beth doesn’t end up actually leaving for another hour and she feels like she could fall asleep in her car by the time she’s parked it outside of their apartment building. 

She thinks of having to walk all the way to the building, then having to walk all the way up the steps to the apartment, and then down that long hallway, and for a fraction of a second—she seriously considers a quick nap. It’s not like she hasn’t seen more than a handful of other college kids passed out in their cars at all hours of the day and night. 

With a sigh, she finally gives in, grabbing her bag and getting out of her car. It’s at least a nice night, the air crisp enough that it wakes her senses a little, but not enough to make her cold. 

Once she reaches the apartment, she drops her bag on the floor by the door and heads straight to her room, peeking into Ruby’s on her way. She isn’t in there. Beth takes her phone out of her back pocket and shoots off a quick text to her, asking where she is and when she thinks she’ll be home. 

Beth wants to take the store return idea that Stan had given her to Rio as soon as possible, so she needs to talk to her and Annie. She wonders briefly if Ruby will have a problem with it, before pushing that thought aside for another day. She’s too tired to think of new problems right now, she has enough old ones to deal with. 

Beth’s just kicked off her pants and is reaching for her pajama bottoms when she hears a faint noise out in the living room. She pauses, holding her breath, eyes on her partially closed door, ears straining to listen. 

When she doesn’t hear anything else for a second, she shrugs it off, picking up the bottoms and leaning against the dresser for balance so she can slip them on. But then she hears a creak out in the hallway and a second later her door is slowly being pushed open. Beth sucks in a quick breath to scream, almost choking on air, when Rio pops into view. 

“ _What the hell._ ” Beth hisses as she feels all of the air escape her lungs. 

“Door was open.” Rio says, the corner of this mouth twitching as he holds back his smirk. 

And—shit, had she forgotten to close the door when she’d come in? 

Beth clears her throat, her fingers twisting the fabric in her hands. “Don’t know how that happened.” 

She just knows if she admits to accidentally leaving the door open, Rio will pounce. He already lectures her enough about forgetting to lock it. 

“Uh huh.” He doesn’t look convinced so Beth decides to change the subject. 

“I thought you’d be with Eddie.” 

Rio’s eyebrows cinch together, eyes squinting at her and Beth can’t help how hers do the same, his confusion setting off her own. “He said he had some business to take care of.” She adds slowly. 

Something flashes in Rio’s eyes and then, just like that, his face is smoothing out, neutral expression sliding neatly into place and Beth’s eyes narrow even further. 

She opens her mouth to say something, press what’s going on, but then Rio’s eyes are sweeping over her slowly, stopping where the hem of her shirt meets the lace of her underwear and she remembers that she’s still not wearing any pants. 

Her mouth goes dry as he takes a step closer, eyes still on her panties, and her tongue darts out to wet her lips before she swallows, hard. “Was there a particular reason you were stopping by?” She asks, voice wavering, a little breathless as he ambles over, his gaze flickering back up to her face when she speaks. 

He hums an affirmation as he reaches her, his hand coming out to gently tug at the pajama bottoms still twisted up in her hands, untangling them and tossing them on top of her dresser. 

And, _god_ , Beth is _so_ tired, she almost stops this before it even starts, almost steps back, almost says “let’s go to _sleep.”_

_Almost._

But then she thinks about his hands, his _mouth_ , on her and she suddenly wants that more than she wants sleep. 

_Needs_ that more than she needs sleep.

Rio brings his hand up, fingers grazing over the side of her face, sliding through her hair. “You look tired mama.” 

“A little.” She admits, voice barely above a whisper, eyes fluttering closed at his touch. 

She feels his lips brush against her temple, then her cheek, before pressing gently against her lips and Beth lets out a content little sigh, her hands coming up to grasp at his arms. 

His mouth moves down along her jaw and then her neck, nipping and sucking at the delicate skin there and Beth shivers, grip tightening on his arms. He loves leaving marks on her body, everywhere really, but especially her neck. She’s given up on lecturing him about it, given up on trying to distract him from it, because really, she can’t deny the fact that she _enjoys_ it. Loves how _lost_ in her he gets. The reminder of it on her skin for days. 

“Probably don’t have the energy for anything but sleep, huh?” Rio murmurs against her neck, in between kisses and Beth slides her hand up to grip the back of his neck. 

“I’m sure you have enough energy for the both of us.” She replies, pulling him closer and Rio huffs out a laugh. 

“Gonna make me do all the work? We’ll see about that.” Rio shifts, hands on Beth’s hips as he pushes her up against the dresser. He reaches up and grabs her hand that’s gripping the back of his neck, bringing it down to slide over her panties and between her legs. Beth sucks in a sharp breath, her eyes flying open and she sees Rio grinning down at her. “Still feelin’ tired?” He asks, his hand still covering hers as he strokes her fingers over her cotton clad mound. Beth’s breathing quickens, her other hand still clinging to his arm, as he teases her. “S’okay darlin’, I got you.” He says, right before taking her hand and sliding it into her underwear and they both groan as they feel how wet she is. 

Rio doesn’t waste any time, guiding her fingers over her soft folds and then circling them around her clit. Beth lets out a tiny gasp, eyes closing as her head tips back. “Keep touchin’ yourself.” Rio commands, pulling his hand out of her underwear and Beth complies, circling her clit a little faster, biting back a moan as she does. She feels Rio hook his fingers into either side of underwear and she opens her eyes, watching him as he sinks to his knees in front of her, slowly sliding her underwear down as he does. 

He just watches her for a minute, eyes darting between her face and her hand between her legs and _god,_ the look on his face is turning her on just as much as if he was touching her right now. Beth moves to slide a finger in, but Rio stops her, reaching out and grabbing her wrist, pushing it away as he wraps a hand around the back of her thigh, hiking her leg up and over his shoulder before his fingers are replacing hers, except he doesn’t start with just one—he slides two in as he licks up her cunt and Beth gasps, one hand flailing out to grab onto the edge of the dresser and the other gripping his shoulder. 

He puts his mouth to immediate use, latching onto her clit as he crooks his fingers up inside of her and Beth seriously doubts her ability to remain standing. Rio seems to have a good grip on her though, and thank god, because it’s not much longer that he hits a particularly _good_ spot with his fingers _and_ his tongue and Beth’s whole body jerks as her hand twists into his shirt, yanking a little as she keens, “Right there, right there, oh _god_ , right _there_.” She can feel him chuckle against her and she yanks on his shirt again, her hips rutting against his face as an almost unbearable tension builds itself up, pushing her higher and higher, until she finally tips over the edge, her mouth falling open as she lets out a series of guttural moans, her whole body feeling like it’s pulsating, one giant exposed live wire, as Rio gently works her through her orgasm. 

She still has her eyes closed, is still clinging to him and the dresser, when she feels him stand up, lean in close and pull her into a kiss. She lets herself collapse into him, lets him wrap her up in his arms and take her the short distance over to the bed. 

He pulls her close after they’ve both settled down and Beth struggles to keep her eyes open as she yawns. “I have something to talk to you about.” She mumbles, rubbing her hand over her face to try and keep herself awake. 

Rio runs his hands slowly over her body, the rough pads of his fingers tracing over her bare skin, making her shiver again. “An what’s that?” 

Beth struggles to keep her place in their conversation as her breathing evens out and she desperately tries to stay awake. She sighs as her eyes slowly drift closed. “I have an idea...” She trails off as another yawn escapes and she finally gives in, letting her body relax under Rio’s touch, her exhaustion sweeping her away into darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to keep myself on a schedule and update this about once a week(ish). We'll see how that goes!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth decides to step out of her comfort zone(with Ruby's help).  
> Beth asks Rio for more and he drops off a surprise.  
> Beth and Rio come to an agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said I was going to keep these chapters to 3500 words or less?  
> Haha, me either!  
> Thank you to everyone that's sent me suggestions/ideas on tumblr of what they'd like to see in this fic!  
> I'm (slowly) weaving them into the story, and it's been very fun!  
> Continued thanks to medievalraven (even though she's constantly taking away my commas, like a _monster_ ).  
> (J/K, she's actually very lovely)

It’s mostly quiet in Beth’s room, the only noise is the music coming from her laptop, and she has that turned down pretty low. 

She’s supposed to be working on her paper, but she’s been staring blankly at her laptop screen for the past ten minutes, unable to move past the first paragraph. 

Beth sneaks a glance over at Rio, who is currently sprawled out across her bed. He’s supposed to be studying, but his phone had gone off almost half an hour ago and he hasn’t put it down since. Beth wonders how he ever gets anything done. 

She’s sitting at her desk, her school work and supplies, including her laptop, spread out in front of her, but every time she tries to focus, her mind wanders. Beth taps her pen against her notepad, turning her attention back to the screen. This assignment is due tomorrow and she’s supposed to have a full page on the assigned topic and all she has is that first paragraph. 

Beth stops tapping her pen, flipping it over in her hand so she can doodle little dollar signs onto the blank page her notebook is opened up to. 

“Aight, you gonna tell me what’s goin’ on or you gonna make me pull it outta you?” 

Beth stops mid pen stroke, pressing the tip of the pen into the paper hard enough to leave an indentation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

She hears him let out a heavy sigh and shift on the bed and she finally looks up and over at him. He’s finally put his phone down and that makes her swallow nervously because now his full attention is on her and she’s not sure what to do with that. 

She’d fully planned on telling him her cash washing plan before she fell asleep the other night, but when she’d woken up, he’d already been heading out the door and they’ve barely had a private moment together since. 

There’s also the matter of telling Ruby and Annie. 

She knows she should sit down with them first, but it’s been increasingly difficult to get the three of them together lately. 

Beth had texted both of them this morning, trying to reschedule Annie’s wine and virgin margaritas night for tonight. They’ve both confirmed they’ll be here. 

But she has Rio in front of her right _now_... 

That prickly itchy feeling that’s been simmering just below the surface has started to slowly seep out over the last week and Beth is starting to feel jittery. 

“Look, we both know it’s gonna come out one way or another, so why not just do it now, and skip all that extra twitchy bullshit.” 

Beth’s mouth drops open for a second before she snaps it shut, eyes narrowing angrily as she lifts her hand and flings her pen across the room at him. “I am _not_ _twitchy_.” 

Rio ducks, grinning, and it hits her headboard and then bounces off onto the floor. “Always so violent too.” He mocks, getting up and bending over to snatch the pen up off the floor before he strolls over to the desk, dropping the pen back onto her notebook and leaning down, a hand on each arm of her chair, caging her in. He leans in close, forcing Beth back, and she tilts her head up to glare at him. 

“Tell me.” 

Beth bites at her lip, thinking over all of her options. She _should_ wait—to make sure the girls are okay with her plan... 

“I want to do more.” The words are out of her mouth too fast—too rushed and shoved together. But that _feeling_ that’s been clawing at her chest abates a little once they’re out in the open, between them. 

Rio just looks at her silently for a minute and Beth can’t tell what he’s thinking because that infuriatingly cool mask is firmly in place, and his face is so close that it’s absolutely _distracting—_ his long lashes and pouty lower lip drawing her attention away from the matter at hand. 

“More.” He finally repeats, and it should be a question, but it’s not and Beth holds her breath for a second because— _he knows_. 

“More jobs.” She clarifies, even though he clearly doesn’t need it. 

“You talk to your girls about that?” His tone is soft, detached, and Beth swallows nervously as she shakes her head. The corner of his mouth twitches and she knows it's because he was expecting that answer. 

“I have a few ideas.” She offers, pushing ahead because she’s already started and she refuses to let his quietness intimidate her into backing down. 

“Is that right?” Beth watches as Rio slowly straightens up and steps back, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. She nods silently, still watching him because she knows there’s more. “Aight. Me too.” 

Her eyebrows furrow at his words, and then he’s turning away, stepping toward her open door and Beth sits up and leans forward in her seat. “Hey—” 

“Talk to your girls first, yeah?” And then...he just _leaves_ and Beth slumps back in her chair, taken aback, and more than a little annoyed, by his sudden exit. What the hell was that about? 

Did his “me too” mean that he already had jobs in mind for them? Had he already been thinking about giving them more to do? Beth smiles a little at the idea. The Canada trip had hit a few snafus, but they’d pulled it off in the end. She knew he had to have been at least a little impressed with that. 

Beth shifts in her seat, turning back toward her desk and the open document on the screen. She stares at it for a solid minute, mind not even processing the words already on the screen. She’s too wired up, still thinking about Rio. Beth lets out a loud sigh, groaning as she runs her hands over her face, tilting her head back to look up at the ceiling. This was just _not_ happening right now. 

Beth drops her chin, glancing quickly at her open door as a new idea pops into her head. She listens for any movement out in the apartment, but doesn’t hear anything. So that means Ruby must still be in her room. She briefly considers getting up and closing her door, but her hands are already on her laptop, opening up a new tab. She navigates quickly through her bookmarks, clicking on the folder she’d labeled extra credit. 

Beth opens it, eyes scanning over the various links before clicking on the third one down. Her heart beats a little faster and she can feel herself flush a bit as the website pops up and it still kind of takes her breath away, the pages and _pages_ of various sex toys offered on these sites. 

Beth’s been doing her research since the night at Rio’s family’s cabin. Ever since that game of “Never have I ever” ( _both_ games), she’d been obsessing a little on all of the things Rio has done, both criminally and sexually. She’ll never admit it to him, but it’d been more than a bit of a turn on, hearing all of the things he’d experienced, especially in contrast to all of the things she _hadn’t_. Imagining doing those things with him too. 

So, she’d been looking things up. It had been overwhelming at first, but once she decided to narrow it down to one specific thing at a time, it was more manageable. 

( _“Never have I ever had anal sex.”_

_Beth doesn’t drink, but of course, Rio does. She looks him over, can’t help wondering what that would be like—what it would feel like with him, and he quirks an eyebrow at her, mischievous glint in his eye as he leans forward to whisper in her ear, “Anytime sweetheart, you jus’ say when.” and Beth flushes as she looks away._ ) 

So, she’s been reading up on it. And—god, it’s embarrassing just how _embarrassed_ she gets even _thinking_ about it. It’s such a taboo topic, in general, but especially just...with her utter inexperience with any aspect of it. She couldn’t bring herself to ask Ruby about it, and Annie was _definitely_ out, so she’s been scouring all the online articles she can find. She wants to be prepared, wants to know what to do, what to expect, how to be _good_ at it. She knows he always makes sure she feels good no matter what they do, but she doesn’t want to have to depend on him for this. She wants to know how to make herself feel good too. 

Beth scrolls slowly down the page, sighing a little at the prices on some of the plugs and vibrators. They are obscenely expensive. She’s done some research on the best plugs to start out with, but she wishes she didn’t have to buy them online. She wouldn’t be caught dead in those tacky adult shops downtown though. 

The thought has barely formed in her mind, when she hears Ruby’s voice behind her. “What are you _doing_?” 

Beth shrieks, hand flying up to her chest as she slams her laptop shut and whips around. 

Ruby’s standing just inside of her doorway, arms crossed over her chest, eyebrow raised, the barely contained delight and amusement on her face making it apparent that she’d seen everything Beth had been looking at. 

“You scared me!” Beth breathes out, trying to calm her pounding heart. 

“I called your name a few times. Guess you were really deep in your research for that school paper huh?” Ruby’s body is practically vibrating, as she bounces on her heels, a grin spreading across her face and Beth rolls her eyes. 

“Okay, look—” 

“Oh my _god_ , did I really just walk in on you looking at what I think you were looking at?” 

Beth clears her throat loudly, glaring at her best friend. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“Elizabeth Irene Marks.” Ruby says her name scornfully, like she’s offended at Beth’s lying and Beth throws her hands up in the air. “Oh my god, fine. Can we not make a big deal out this?” She mumbles, fingers twisting up in the hem of her shirt. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, is this supposed to be like the time I walked in on you having _sex_ in our _kitchen_ —where we vaguely acknowledged it happened, and then never spoke of it again?” 

“ _Yes_!” 

“Yeah, nuh uh. Especially if you’re looking up what I think you’re looking up. You are not buying those things online. Do you even know what you’re looking for?” 

“I’ve been reading some articles—” 

“What, like from Cosmo?” 

And that shuts her up because—yeah, a few of them had been from Cosmo. So what? 

Ruby reads her face and looks at her with a mixture of sympathy and concern that makes Beth flush even further. “Oh honey, no. Get up, let’s go.” 

“What?” Beth sputters a little, arms waving and head shaking, but Ruby’s already turning away. 

“I know a place, c’mon. We’re going.” She’s still walking away even as Beth protests and then she’s gone and Beth is getting increasingly annoyed at the fact that people think they can just walk away from her in the middle of conversations like that. 

Beth protests all the way out of the apartment and the whole way to the car. She informs Ruby that she will not step foot into any filthy downtown adult shop, and Ruby rolls her eyes so hard, Beth gets a headache just looking at it. “Please, you know me better than that, we are not going downtown.” 

And they don’t. They end up in a strip of small shops on the outskirts of town. Ruby parks in front of a brick boutique with grey trim and the words “Adonis Play” in white lettering across the window. It’s not the only thing on display in the window. There are two sets of half mannequins styled in, admittingly tasteful, lingerie there as well. It’s not at all what Beth expects—from the outside at least. 

Ruby sees her hesitate and she comes around to where Beth’s now standing on the other side of the car. “I promise, no one here will bite. Trust me.” 

“How do you know?” Beth asks, only half joking. 

“Stan and I come here.” She answers, and Beth’s eyes widen as they dart over to look at her. Ruby grins before turning on her heel and walking to the door, pulling it open and gesturing for Beth to go inside. 

Beth lets out a loud and put upon sigh before moving, dragging her feet the whole way. 

It’s not until they step inside that Beth’s embarrassment gives away to mild shock and a bit of awe. 

The front room’s décor is tasteful and understated—all soft light, warm tones, and dark wood. Ruby’s already looking over the merchandise that’s laid out over the long wooden table in the center of the room and Beth’s too curious to let herself be self-conscious as she wanders over to the built in shelving unit along the wall, various objects lining the glass shelves—books, glass containers, apothecary jars, and erotic toys. 

There are cupboards underneath the shelves and Beth pulls them open. There are sliding shelves inside and she pulls on the top one, eyes widening at the vast selection of panties lining the drawer. There’s silk and lace and mesh and what look like _crotchless ones_ and it kind of takes Beth’s breath away. She imagines the look on Rio’s face if she showed up in crotchless panties and she can feel her face instantly heat up and her eyes dart over to where Ruby is now browsing the books a few feet down from her. 

Beth pushes the drawer back in and carefully closes the doors, clearing her throat as she joins Ruby in front of the books. 

“What are we doing here, exactly?” She asks, voice low as she looks toward the back of the store, where a woman is helping a customer check out. The woman catches Beth’s eye and smiles in greeting and Beth smiles back before quickly turning away. “I really think we should go now—” 

“Are you doing this for him or for you?” 

Beth is startled by Ruby’s sudden interruption, mouth hanging open slightly as she tries to make sense of her question, and then snapping shut when she finally gets it. Her jaw clenches as she stares at her and Ruby just stares back, eyebrow raised and Beth knows she’s not going to win this one. 

“I don’t think this is really the best place to talk about this.” She finally says, stalling for time. 

“Oh, please,” Ruby scoffs, grabbing a jar of what looks like lube off one of the shelves and dangling it from her fingers, “this is the perfect place to talk about this.” 

And—okay she has a point there. 

Beth nibbles at her lip as she watches Ruby slide the jar back up onto the shelf and she stares at it hard, pretending to read the label, _anything_ that’ll keep her focus off Ruby. “I’m—,” Beth stops abruptly as she feels that familiar heat kissing her cheeks again and she balls her hands into fists at her sides. She quickly clears her throat and tries again, “I’m doing it for...for the _both_ of us.” The words on the jar are all blended together, she can’t even separate them she’s concentrating _so hard_ — 

“Beth,” Ruby places her hand on Beth’s arm and squeezes, breaking Beth’s focus as she turns her head to reluctantly look at Ruby instead, “If you’re not sure or comfortable, you shouldn’t force it. Trust me, it won’t be good for either one of you.” 

Beth’s shaking her head before Ruby even finishes her sentence though. “It’s not that. I _want_ to, I just...I’m not exactly sure...what to _do_. Things like this aren’t exactly my area of expertise.” 

A flash of relief crosses over Ruby’s face before she grins, the hand still resting on Beth’s arm now tugging on it. “Well, that’s why we’re here.” 

Ruby leads Beth toward the back of the shop, through an open archway that divides the two main parts of the boutique. 

And this... _this_ room screams sex shop. 

It’s still incredibly tasteful, much more so than she expected, but the whole vibe is completely changed from the front room, right down to the décor. A black velvet damask pattern on deep purple flocked wallpaper covers the surrounding walls, all except for the wall along the back, which acts as an accent in a deep red. There are racks of lingerie and costumes and incredibly sexy dresses. There are display tables scattered amongst the racks, filled with more of what was in the front room—books and toys and bottles of various sizes filled with god knows what. 

But it looks like they keep the more serious stuff along the back red wall. Beth can see handcuffs and props and... 

Well, Beth tries not to focus too much on that wall, instead letting Ruby pull her further into the room. They pass the check out desk, where the same woman from earlier is, only this time there’s a man behind the counter with her. 

“Hey, bunny.” The man calls out and Beth turns to him, confused, and that confusion only deepens when Ruby lifts her hand in a wave but keeps moving, dragging Beth along with her. 

“Who is _that_?” Beth whispers, glancing back over her shoulder at the two of them behind the counter, talking. 

“That’s JT, he runs the place.” 

“Really?” Beth asks, looking at him with renewed interest. The way this place was set up, a guy running it would _not_ have been her first thought. 

“Yeah, it’s a family business,” (Weird family business, Beth thinks), “He majored in finance so he definitely knows how to run things behind the scenes.” 

‘ _How do you know all this_?’ and ‘ _Why the hell does he call you bunny_ ’, is on the tip of her tongue, but then Ruby stops short and Beth almost trips over her own feet stopping herself before she runs right into her back. 

“Here we are.” Ruby proclaims, releasing Beth’s arm. 

And—shit. 

Beth’s lips part and her eyes widen as she takes in the shelves ( _and all of the products displayed_ ) in front of them. 

Beth feels herself flush again, only this time it feels like it travels from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. 

It’s a bit overwhelming, all the shapes and sizes and _colors_ in front of her and her eyes dart over to Ruby, who looks just as overwhelmed as her. 

“Ya’ll need help?” 

Beth jumps a little and turns to find the brunette worker standing behind them, a friendly smile on her face as she looks between the two of them. 

“Uh, no I don’t think so.” Beth mumbles at the same time Ruby nods her head and says, “As a matter of fact Krystal, I think we do.” 

Beth looks over at Ruby sharply, but she just ignores her, still focusing on Krystal. “What can you tell us about...all of _this_.” Ruby waves her hand toward the shelves in front of them. 

“Well, that depends on your needs. First time or...?” 

“Oh, definitely first time.” 

Beth rolls her eyes up toward the ceiling, willing it to cave in on her or the ground to swallow her up. 

Krystal claps her hands together in front of her excitedly and bounces a little on the balls of her feet. “Alright, well first things first, you definitely want to do some prep work before diving into any sort of anal play.” 

“Prep work huh?” Ruby says, eyes immediately going to Beth and Beth glares back at her. 

“Yes, anal sex is _vastly_ different from vaginal sex. There’s no self lubrication and, you know, things are meant to come out, not go in—” 

“ _Okay_ , Krystal,” Beth interrupts and Ruby lets out a tiny snort, “what exactly would you recommend?” 

“Well, butt plugs are a _must,”_ Krystal reaches up and grabs a package off the middle shelf and brings it down. “Although, we recommend starting off using fingers first and then moving on to plugs in the smallest size available and working your way up.” She holds the small box up so they can both see it. The picture on the front shows a small bright pink teardrop shaped plug with what looks like a handle on the bottom. “This is one of our most popular for beginners. It’s silicone, which is great for ease of insertion, and it has a flared base and handle, which is _super important_ so it doesn’t get sucked up and lost inside of you.” 

A strangled noise erupts from the back of Beth’s throat as she looks on, absolutely horrified. Krystal glances over at her in concern, the hand holding the butt plug slowly lowering. “Are you okay, hun?” 

Beth coughs a little, hand coming up to pat at her chest. “Yes, I’m sorry, just a tickle in my throat.” 

Ruby exhales sharply and Beth looks over to see her lips pressed together tightly as she tries to hold back her laughter. _‘I hate you_ ’ Beth mouths at her and Ruby sticks her tongue out. 

Krystle turns her attention over to Ruby and Ruby offers her a quick easy smile. “Please, continue.” 

“Okay, so there are many different shapes and sizes and some of them vibrate and some don’t. You’ll probably have to try a few different ones out to see what works best for you. It’s just like shopping for a vibrator.” Krystal reaches up with her free hand to grab another box off the shelf, handing the one she has over to Beth, who takes it without thinking. She freezes for a minute and then flips it over in her hands, reading the little blurb on the back. 

“We have a few different kits, so you can work your way up in size, if that’s something you're interested in.” Krystal continues, bringing a slightly bigger box down and Beth looks on as she holds it up so they can both see it too. 

This box has a clear front so they can actually see the plugs inside. They’re all curved and sleek and a matte black that remind Beth of a sports car for some reason. 

“I think one is fine Krystal, thanks.” Beth hears Ruby say and she sends her friend a silent grateful smile, because this... _all_ of this is... _a lot_. 

“Okay, well these here in the middle and these ones on the bottom are probably your best bet. It’ll be up to you which one you’ll feel most comfortable starting out with.” She gestures to a few different boxes as she talks and Beth’s eyes roam over each one curiously. 

“After you decide on a plug, you’ll want to get a really good lube as well.” Krystal says, stepping over to the side where the various bottles of lube are displayed. “Water based lube is your best bet and, again, we have a few best sellers,” she points to a few different bottles. “You’ll want to use _a lot_ . Like, if you think you’ve used too much, add more—because you _definitely_ haven’t.” 

Beth reaches over and tentatively picks up a pretty pear shaped bottle with a greenish tint to it. 

“Oh, those are flavored, they’re great for oral sex. That one's pear flavored.” 

“Oh.” Beth says, setting it back down gently, looking over the other bottles next to it. There’s strawberry and chocolate and banana. Beth wonders if they actually taste good or if they leave that nasty artificial taste in your mouth. 

“The pear flavor is the only good one.” Ruby whispers in her ear as she leans in close and Beth can’t help the giggle that escapes as she knocks her shoulder into Ruby’s. She can feel herself start to slowly relax, the anxiety and tension from before fading away. 

“Thank you.” Beth says underneath her breath to Ruby, as Krystal turns around to step back over to the other set of shelves. Ruby shoots her a warm smile and nudges her back. 

“Okay, well, I’ll leave you two to it! Let me know if you need any more help, okay?” Krystal says and they both thank her before she walks away. 

“Well, that was quick and painless.” Ruby jokes and Beth let herself fully laugh this time and Ruby laughs along with her. 

“This is _a lot_ more complicated than I thought it was going to be.” Beth says with a sigh, looking down at the box Krystal had originally handed to her, still in her hand. 

“Well, you don’t _have_ to do anything, B. You can always just...wait.” 

“I know.” Beth sighs again, this time deeper, as she looks back up at the shelves in front of them. 

“Have you talked to him about it?” Ruby asks, but Beth can tell by the tone of her voice, she already knows she hasn’t. 

Beth shakes her head anyway. “I wanted it to be a surprise.” 

“Well, at least he doesn’t know, so if you want to call it quits, he won’t be disappointed.” 

“Oh, I don’t think he’d be disappointed anyway. At least, not really. He just really cares about what I like.” 

“Really? Huh.” Ruby’s looking at her thoughtfully and Beth looks away a little nervously. Maybe she’s said too much. 

“Well, I’m not really feeling this color pink, so I think I'm going to put this one back.” Beth says, changing the subject quickly. She slides the box back up on the middle shelf and then looks at the other ones Krystal had pointed out. 

“This one’s cute.” Ruby says, pointing to a clear glass one with a turquoise gem at the base. 

Beth wrinkles her nose even as a giggle slips out and Ruby grins at her. “That’s ridiculous.” 

“What, you think you can only bedazzle your vagina?” 

“Oh my god, _stop._ ” Beth laughs out, looking back over her shoulder to make sure no one is listening to them. 

There’s one other customer on the far side of the room and Krystal is back behind the counter. 

Even though Beth is still a bit mortified by it all, with Ruby’s help, she finally settles on a plug and two different bottles of lube 

(“This one is all natural and it has a pump so it’s not as messy.” Beth says, holding up the bottle that she’s picked out. Ruby holds up hers. “This one’s better, _trust me_.” So, Beth ends up with both.) 

Beth grabs a small box of condoms once they reach the register and adds them to the pile. Krystal explains the ins and outs of sanitation and safety as she checks them out. 

(“Make sure to wash your toys after every single use and whenever you switch locations. You’ll probably want to use the bathroom and shower beforehand and you’ll want to make sure you and your partner are washing your hands after insertion.” She explains matter-of-factly, all of the additional information making Beth’s head spin. 

“None of that sounds very sexy.” Beth jokes nervously. 

“Neither is an infection.”) 

It’s not until Beth and Ruby have paid for their stuff and Krystal has bagged all of their purchases up in plain brown gift bags, that JT comes back out into the shop area. 

He greets Ruby warmly, and Ruby introduces him to Beth. Beth watches them interact closely, desperate for an explanation as to how they met and are now on a nickname basis. They talk a bit about how JT ended up with the boutique (his parents decided to retire early and he happily volunteered to take over after he graduated college) and it’s not until right before they leave, when he’s gleaming over the financial aspects of it, that he says something that catches Beth’s attention. 

“We deal a lot in cash here most days anyway.” He says and it catches Beth off guard because— 

“Don’t most people want to pay with a credit card for everything these days?” 

“Naw, at least, not in a place like this. Lotta folks come in here don’t really want their purchases showing up on bank statements.” 

And—huh...that makes sense, Beth guesses. And she’s seen herself, how pricey some of this stuff can get up to... 

Before she can needle any more information out of him, the shop phone rings and Krystal hands it over to him a minute later. They exchange goodbyes, and Beth and Ruby head out, Beth’s mind still vaguely preoccupied by JTs cash comment. 

When they walk back into their apartment, however, Beth’s easily distracted by Annie waiting for them, the boutique slipping away to be replaced with girls night and whatever fresh drama Annie has going on. 

And she gets right into it as soon as they’re settled into the living room with their drinks. 

“So, now that my morning sickness is fading, I’ve been feeling horny as _fuck_.” 

“Annie!” Beth gasps, choking on her wine and Ruby reaches over and whacks her on the back a few times as she coughs and Annie rolls her eyes as Ruby laughs. 

“What? Look, I haven’t had sex since I found out I was pregnant. Do you have any idea what that’s been doing to my psyche?” 

“You mean, you and Nancy haven’t...?” Ruby asks, eyebrows raised. 

“ _No_.” Annie groans, setting her virgin margarita down and flopping back onto the floor. “And trust me, it’s not for lack of trying. She’s just so...I don’t even know. Like, _paranoid_ about it all.” 

“What do you mean?” Beth asks, wiping her eyes from when they had watered up during her coughing fit. She clears her throat one more time before taking a sip of her wine, settling back into the couch cushions. 

“She’s only ever dated guys so she’s scared of like being bad at this, I guess? _I don’t know_. She’s like you.” Annie says, waving her hand out at Beth and Beth leans forward, eyebrows furrowed, tiny frown forming on her lips. “What does _that_ mean?” 

“ _It means_ , she’s so uptight and anal retentive, that she’s been doing like, all this _research_ lately. The other day I caught her watching girl on girl porn, but she was watching it in like, a _clinical_ way, _not_ a sexy way. Like she was studying for an exam or something. I swear, the girl was _taking notes_.” 

Ruby is doubled over in laughter and Annie can’t seem to help rolling into a fit of giggles with her, but Beth flushes as she thinks about all the research _she’s_ been doing for _Rio_ lately. 

“I mean, maybe she just wants to make sure it’s good for the both of you.” Beth says quietly, taking another sip of her wine. 

Annie rolls her eyes again as her laughter tapers off and she sits up. “This is what I’m saying. You two are like peas in a pod. It’s not like I know much more than she does, why can’t we just go for it and figure it out together?” 

Beth shrugs, eyes downcast as she swirls her wine around in her glass. “Trying new things can be scary Annie, give the girl a break. Have you tried talking to her about it?” 

“Well...no.” Annie flops back down onto the floor and Beth winces at the accompanying thud. She puts her glass down on the coffee table and picks up one of the couch pillows, walking over to where Annie is and shoving it under her head. Annie catches her wrist before she can walk away, and Beth sighs, but stops, dropping down and squeezing in next to Annie on the floor. Annie moves her head over to make room for Beth on the pillow. 

“These pregnancy hormones are driving me insane. I feel like if I try to talk to her about anything I’ll burst into tears. It’s disgusting.” Annie complains, throwing her arms up in the air before letting them flop down, hands splaying out across her belly. 

Beth nods her head as she looks up at the ceiling, because yeah, even without the pregnancy hormones, she gets that. She tilts her head back a little when her eye catches on Ruby’s movements as she makes her way over to where the two of them are, pillow in hand as she gets comfortable on the floor on the other side of Annie. 

“You should sit down and talk to her about it. Maybe _after_ she’s had a few drinks and is more... _relaxed._ ” Ruby suggests and Annie snorts. 

“Yeah like that’ll happen—” Annie starts, but she’s interrupted by the sound of their apartment door being shoved open roughly and Beth sits up in time to see it smack against the wall with a loud thud, bouncing off a little, as Rio walks through, followed by three other guys. Well, followed by two other guys technically, the third guy is being held up by the other two, one of which is Mick, as they drag him over to the dining room table, pushing the stuff on top to the floor and hauling him up and dropping him on top of it. 

“ _What the hell are you doing_?” Beth hisses and Rio quirks an eyebrow at the three of them sprawled out across the floor. 

“What are _you_ doin’?” He shoots back and Beth scrambles up on her feet, rounding the coffee table as her eyes dart over to the dining room area. 

“Are you serious right now?” Beth stops once she reaches Rio, looking back over at the girls, who are both slowly getting up, like deer in headlights, worrying about making any sudden movements. She turns back to the dining room and her mouth falls open as the guys move out of the way and she sees the bloody towel pressed into the guy's side. And then his head flops over to the side facing her and Beth gasps as she realizes it’s _Eddie_. She hears Annie inhale sharply and realizes she’s noticed at the same time. Beth watches as Annie runs over to the table, one hand coming up to cover her mouth as the other reaches out to touch his arm. Beth swings back around to Rio, eyes wide, and he smiles tightly at her. 

“You said you wanted to do more right?” He says, tone deceptively cool and Beth freezes, her whole body going cold. “Ain't your friend a nurse or somethin’?” 

Beth sees Ruby’s head snap up, her eyes widening as her face goes slack with shock and Beth shakes her head furiously. “ _No_.” 

Rio looks over at Mick and gives an almost imperceptible nod and Mick walks over to Ruby, dropping the bright orange bag he has in his hand on top of the coffee table in front of her. It’s a first aid kit. An extensive one by the looks of it. 

“Beth?” Ruby whispers, the pitch in her voice going high at the end, as she stares down at the kit. 

“Rio—” 

“Look, you wanna help, this is how you help. He needs to be stitched up—” 

“There’s a hospital fifteen minutes from here.” Beth grits out, body going rigid with anger. 

“He aint goin’ to no hospital.” Rio snaps, eyes boring into Beth angrily and her face flushes red hot, but this time it’s not from embarrassment. 

Annie lets out a little whimper and Beth glares at Rio before stepping away to go stand next to her, carefully avoiding looking at Eddie. “Are you okay?” 

“He’s bleeding so much. He’s out cold.” Annie says, eyes watery as she looks up at Beth. Then she turns her attention to Rio. “What happened to him?” 

“Don’t worry about it.” 

“ _Rio_.” Beth’s hands are curled into fists at her side and she’s trying not to snap, but he’s making it hard. What the hell was he thinking? 

“I can’t do stitches.” Ruby suddenly pipes up, catching everyone’s attention. She shifts a little on her feet before holding her hands up and giving a shrug. “Nurses don’t give stitches, the most we’re allowed to do is observe.” 

“So, you’ve seen it done.” Rio says, and Beth wills Ruby to say ‘No’. 

“Well...yes.” She confirms and Beth closes her eyes warily. 

“Good, so do it. I trust you.” Rio smiles and Beth wants to smack him. 

Ruby’s eyes dart between all of them, before settling on Annie, who is looking about as pale as Eddie now. “Fine.” She says, picking up the bag and heading over to the table. Mick follows her. “But if I mess up and make this worse...” She trails off as she sucks in a breath, and Beth can see her hands are shaking as she sets the bag down on one of the chairs. 

Beth reaches her hand out, taking Ruby’s hand in hers and giving it a tight squeeze. “Ruby, you don’t have to—” 

“It’s fine. I’ve seen it a dozen time, practically an expert now, right?” Ruby huffs out a shaky laugh and Beth gives her a weak smile in return. Ruby starts digging through the bag, taking supplies out and Beth stalks over to Rio, who's already pulled his phone out and started texting. 

“This is _not_ what I meant by more and you know it.” She seethes, jaw working in overtime as she bites back all of the other things she wants to say right now. 

He doesn’t even look up from his phone at her. “What’s the matter, feelin’ a lil squeamish?” 

And really—she’s _not_ , and she’s still trying to figure out if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. But that’s a whole other issue she’s not ready to deal with right now. 

“I know what you’re trying to do.” She says, resisting the urge to smack his phone out of his hand. 

“That right?” 

“You’re trying to intimidate me.” 

“Yeah? Well maybe you should be intimidated.” He says, finally looking up at her, and she’s taken aback by the anger there. How was _he_ mad at _her_ right now? “This is what happens when you’re all in. When you want more. With guns.” His voice is low and rough and there’s a tinge of anger and Beth wishes they were alone so neither one of them would have to put up a controlled front for the people surrounding them. 

“So you’re what, punishing me for wanting to do something we both know I can be good at? What if someone had seen you bring him here?” 

“We needed a place to stash ‘im and yours was the closest. We took the back stairs, no one saw us.” 

Beth’s about to reply to that when she hears Annie let out a gasp and she whirls around to see Ruby starting the stitches. She immediately goes to stand by her side, giving words of encouragement as Ruby nervously threads the needle through Eddie’s skin and Beth is extremely thankful he was already passed out by the time they brought him here. 

It doesn’t take many stitches and Ruby only has to stop once to shake her hands out and send out a silent little prayer into the universe before she’s done. She’s still bandaging him up when Rio lifts his chin toward the door, gesturing for the other two to follow him out and Beth has to practically run across the room to catch them just outside the door. “Hey, where the hell are you going?” 

“Got some stuff to handle.” He answers, rolling his shoulders back as he looks over at her and Beth feels that anger flare up again. 

“And what _exactly_ am I supposed to do with the little package you’ve just dropped off?” 

“Make sure he don’t die. We can negotiate terms after.” And then he’s gone and it reminds Beth so much of this morning that she wants to throw something at him. 

She steps back into the apartment and closes the door, leaning back against it heavily. 

What the hell just happened? 

“What the _hell_ was that?” Ruby asks, like she’s inside Beth’s thoughts, and Beth jerks her head over in her direction, where she’s cleaning up the supplies. 

“Yeah, what’s going on, Beth?” Annie asks, still hanging on to Eddie’s arm and it makes Beth’s heart clench. 

“I...I don’t know. I have no idea why he thought this was a good idea.” She says slowly, trying to work out exactly what to say in her head. 

“Oh no? Cause I swear gang friend said something about you wanting more. Did I hear that correctly or was the emotional trauma of having my friend laid out with a gunshot wound in front of me making me hear things?” Annie’s words come out rushed and angry, bordering on hysterical, and Beth pushes off the door to walk carefully back into the dining room area, trying to figure out the best way to approach this. This was not how she imagined this conversation would go. 

“After we came back from Canada, I asked Rio if we could do more jobs for him.” She says slowly, trying to choose her words carefully. 

“ _What_?!” Ruby asks sharply and that one word is cutting, making Beth wince. 

“I mean, obviously I didn’t mean _this_.” She quickly clarifies as she gestures toward Eddie. 

“Oh, really? Well did you inform your boyfriend of that? Cause your definitions seem to be differing a lil bit.” Ruby says, turning on her heel and stomping over to the kitchen sink. She washes her hands angrily, her movement stiff and jerky and Beth can’t really blame her. 

She’d just had to stitch up a gunshot victim on their dining room table. 

“Look, I’m sorry you had to do that, I swear I didn’t know he was going to do this. When I asked him, what I meant was more like what we had already done. Like...washing cash.” 

Ruby freezes and Beth knows she’s not going to be happy about this either. 

“Who even _are_ you?” Annie asks incredulously. 

“I have a plan, okay?” Beth starts, but they’re interrupted by Eddie’s body twitching as he lets out a long, low groan, and all three of them freeze. 

They watch him carefully, waiting for any more movement, but when there is none, they let out a collective sigh of relief. 

“What are we supposed to do with him?” Ruby asks as she dries her hands off on some paper towels and then throws them away. 

Beth regards him thoughtfully. They can’t leave me sprawled out across the table but they also can’t move him very far... 

“I have an idea.” She says, suddenly remembering the air mattress they keep in the hallway closet. She grabs it and brings it back out, dropping it on the floor by the table. “We can use this. We just have to get him from the table to the mattress.” 

“Like, roll him off?” Annie asks, hands on hips. 

“No, Annie, his stitches will rip.” Ruby says, shaking her head, clearly exasperated with the both of them. 

“More like lift him and drop him.” Beth clarifies, and Ruby doesn’t seem too keen on that idea either. 

Beth kneels down and takes the air mattress out of its box, blowing it up and setting it right next to the table's edge. It takes several attempts to hoist Eddie up in sync, but they eventually get it and they even manage to drop him down onto the mattress fairly gently. He groans again when they do, but doesn’t make any additional noise or movement after. 

They settle back into the living room to finish their drinks and keep a close eye on Eddie. 

Beth briefly touches on the topic of the returns. (“Where did you even get that idea from?” Annie asks. Beth’s eyes dart over to Ruby and she considers lying, but reluctantly answers with the truth. “Actually, I got it from Stan.”) Ruby’s not happy about the cash washing or how the idea came to fruition, however indirectly, because of Stan, but she slowly thaws toward Beth as they talk out the details. They eventually pass out, Beth on the floor and Ruby and Annie on opposite ends of the couch. 

Beth wakes slowly several hours later and it takes several minutes before she realizes what's woken her. 

_Eddie._

Beth scrambles up off the floor just in time to see him stumble into the dining room table, cussing quietly underneath his breath. 

“Eddie?” 

He whirls around quickly, gun in hand, and Beth gasps, throwing her hands out in front of her. Where the hell did that gun come from? 

He squints in the dark, but he must recognize her, because he slowly lowers his gun. “Shit, sorry. Where the hell am I?” 

“My apartment. Rio dropped you off earlier.” Beth whispers, chancing a quick glance at the couch. Both girls are still fast asleep. 

“ _Fuck_.” He draws the word out, seemingly distressed, and Beth takes a tentative step forward. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothin’. I gotta go.” He tucks his gun into his jeans and grimaces, hand coming up to hold his side as he turns away from her. 

“Wait! I don’t think you should be moving.” Beth hisses, hurrying after him, but he already has the door open. 

“I’m fine. Thanks for patching me up, boss.” He mumbles, giving her one last look over his shoulder before he walks out the door, closing it firmly behind him. She considers following him, trying to make him stay, but what good would that do? Maybe he was going to meet up with Rio. 

Beth lets out a heavy sigh, turning back to the living room. She should wake Annie and Ruby, get them up and into their beds or they were going to be feeling it in the morning. She pulls her phone out of her pocket to check the time. Almost midnight. 

Her mind goes to Rio and what he must be doing right now. How he left almost immediately after dropping Eddie off. How she hasn’t heard from him since. There’s usually a party going on at the warehouse most nights, it wouldn’t hurt to swing by and see if he’s okay.... 

Beth quietly makes her way over to the bathroom, quickly brushing her teeth and fixing her hair. 

She pauses on her way out the door after, giving one last thought to waking Ruby and Annie. She knows they’ll ask questions if she does though, and she doesn’t have answers for them right now. So, she quickly and quietly closes the door behind her, and heads out to the warehouse. 

Beth is jittery the whole way there. She hasn’t texted him to let him know she’s stopping by (if he’s even there), and she’s sure he’s not going to be happy about that. 

But they need to talk. Well, more specifically, _she_ needs to talk and _he_ needs to listen. 

There’s definitely a party going on when she pulls up, and Beth is reminded of her first time here, when she’d smashed up Dean’s car and Rio had taken her up to the bathroom to clean her up. 

It seems like forever ago now. 

Beth makes her way into the warehouse, looking around for Rio or Mick on the ground floor as she slowly makes her way over to the stairs. She doesn’t see either one of them but she _does,_ surprisingly, see Aaron and Dean and, even more surprisingly, Lucas and his brother. 

Lucas catches her eye and does a double take and then he grins, raising his hand in a wave and Beth smiles and waves back but doesn’t stop. She moves the chain blocking the stairs off and re-hooks it behind her, navigating the rickety metal steps carefully. She really hates them. 

There are a few guys standing around in the hallway talking and she doesn’t recognize any of them, but they don’t stop her when she squeezes past them with a small smile. 

The office door is open, so Beth peeks inside and sees Rio sitting on the desk that’s situated further into the room, talking to Mick in front of him. 

She’s trying to decide between making her presence known or waiting outside until they’re done, when Rio suddenly looks over at her and makes eye contact. He stiffens slightly and she offers him a small smile as a silent truce, and he must take it, because he relaxes a bit. 

Mick leaves, nodding at her on the way out and Beth steps through the doorway, but stays by the door. She starts to close it, but changes her mind, leaving it halfway open. 

“What’re you doin’ here?” He asks, stretching his legs out in front of him as his hands come down to grip the edge of the desk on either side of him. 

“Eddie left. I didn’t see him downstairs. Did he come here?” It’s not what she originally planned on starting with, but it’s what comes out, and she realizes she’s really worried about him. 

“Nah, haven’t seen ‘im.” He readily answers and he seems less than pleased at her news that he’s now seemingly AWOL. “Lost ‘im already huh?” 

“I didn’t _lose him._ He walked out. What was I supposed to do, chain him to my bed?” Beth snaps, throwing that last part in there because she knows it’ll piss him off. 

And it does, his grip on the desk tightening as he rocks his jaw, and Beth lets out a heavy sigh. So much for that silent truce. 

“Look, that was not what I meant when I asked for another job. Our apartment is not a makeshift hospital.” 

“Oh, so you thought you could choose what you wanna do and when you wanna do it.” He asks, and the sarcasm that’s heavily laced through his words just infuriates her more. 

“I _thought_ I could come to you with an idea and you would _listen_.” Beth steps further into the room, anger making her restless, pushing her closer to him. 

“Yeah, that ain’t how this works, sweetheart.” 

“It is if you would just listen. We can do things and go places for you that other people who work for you can’t. You should be utilizing us, not wasting our potential. If you want to actually make money. If you’re really the smart business man you think you are.” She’s stepping closer to him as she talks, coming to a stop just out of reach. 

Rio’s quiet for a moment, body completely still, dark eyes fixated on her and Beth thinks maybe she went a little too far. 

But then he’s reaching out and grabbing her wrist and yanking her between his legs and Beth gasps as she stumbles into him, chests colliding before she straightens up. 

“You drive me fuckin’ crazy.” He says, sliding his arm around her waist as his other hand comes up to grip the back of her neck and drag her face closer to his. 

“So I've been told.” She breathes out, shivering at his touch. 

He tries to pull her even closer, but she resists, holding firm because— _she needs him to say it_. 

His mouth twists up in a smirk, his eyes lighting up in obvious amusement at her resistance. “Alright, we’ll give it a try.” He murmurs, voice deep and husky and Beth’s lips part slightly as she inhales, ready to tell him her plan, but then he’s surging up to capture her lips with his, not bothering to wait for her anymore and Beth’s hands come up to steady herself against him, fingers digging into his shoulders as his grip on her neck tightens. 

She pulls away to catch her breath, to try again with her _plan,_ but he quickly pulls her back into him and she gives in, because he’s already agreed to it, so they didn’t really _need_ to get into the details right now, right? 

Beth moans into Rio’s mouth as his hands slide down her body, gripping her ass and pulling her completely flush against him and she can feel him smile against her mouth. 

“Let’s go back to your place.” She suggests the next time she pulls back, but Rio’s already got his mouth on her neck and his hands down the back of her pants and Beth quickly looks back toward the partially open doorway. “ _Rio_.” 

“What?” He says against her neck and Beth laughs softly as his breath tickles against her skin. 

“The door is open.” She points out, hands sliding over his shoulders, squeezing lightly. 

“Guess you’ll have to be quiet then, huh mama.” He purrs right before biting at her neck and then sucking at it sharply and Beth gasps loudly as the pleasure pain shoots straight between her legs. 

Rio huffs out a laugh as he pulls back to look at her. “What I just say?” He teases and before she can retort, he’s switching their positions, standing up and turning them, and Beth’s on her back on top of the desk before she even realizes what’s happening. 

“This is not a good idea.” Beth says as she tries to sit up but Rio’s hands are already at the front of her jeans and Beth pauses, breath catching in her throat as she watches his nimble fingers pop the button open. “What if someone walks in?” 

“No one’s gonna walk in unless you give ‘em a reason to.” Rio pulls her zipper down, fingers sliding over the front of her underwear. “You gonna give ‘em a reason, Elizabeth?” 

Beth doesn’t trust herself to speak, just quickly shakes her head and Rio grins as he hooks his fingers into her jeans and yanks, pulling them all the way off and Beth’s hands fly up to grasp at the edge of the desk above her head so she doesn’t slide off the desk completely. 

She shivers slightly as the cool air hits her bare skin and Rio’s hands are instantly on her, rubbing over her thighs vigorously, like he’s trying to warm her up, and Beth giggles, bringing her hands back down to swat at him playfully. 

His grin widens as his hands slide up and over her hips, pulling her toward him and closer to the end of the desk. She resists the urge to scoot back up, even though she feels like she’s going to fall off if she moves the wrong way. 

His touches are feather light as he grazes his knuckles over the crotch of her underwear and Beth squirms restlessly against him, despite her fear of ending up sprawled out on the floor. 

“Always soakin’ through them panties huh darlin’.” He teases as he feels the wetness there and Beth flushes as she glares up at him. “Bet you got turned on just thinkin’ bout comin’ over here to fight me, didn’t you? Got all hot and bothered, squirmin’ around in your seat, pressin’ these pretty little thighs together.” Rio hooks his finger into the sides of her underwear, sliding them off and Beth bites down on her bottom lip as she watches him. “What were you thinkin about, hm? Thinkin’ bout how you were goin’ to force your way into my business, have me wrapped around those little fingers of yours by the time you were through?” He slides his long fingers over her soft folds, letting out a low groan as he does. “Got your pussy clenching around nothin‘ just imaginin’ it, I bet.” He continues, pushing two fingers in as he says it and Beth closes her eyes as her hands fist into her t-shirt at her stomach. His words, this story he’s weaving—it’s driving her insane. 

_Because, he’s right._

“And then what? How were you gonna celebrate your win? By riding my face? Or suckin’ my cock?” Beth bites back a moan as she clenches around his fingers and Rio’s grin turns wicked. “Oh baby, you wanted those beautiful lips wrapped around my cock? Yeah, I like that too. Where were you gonna let me cum? On your tits? In your mouth?” Beth’s breathing quickens, becomes more labored, and she’s finding it harder and harder to stifle her moans. 

She can tell Rio is really enjoying trying to make her break. 

“You like it when I cum in your mouth, Elizabeth?” Rio asks, leaning down so he can whisper it in her ear as he fucks her with his fingers and Beth whimpers as she rocks her hips against him. “I know you do.” 

He moves to straighten up, but Beth pulls him back down, into a kiss this time because she misses the taste and feel of him already. And this time, he’s the one to moan into her mouth and Beth makes a noise of protest in the back of her throat as he pulls his fingers out of her, but then she feels him undoing his jeans, pushing them down, and she braces herself. 

He pushes into her roughly, burying himself to the hilt and Beth keens loudly as she arches up into him, her legs coming up to wrap around his waist. 

Rio brings his hand up to quickly cover her mouth and shushes her quietly. “You hafta be quiet for me, ma, remember? Can you do that?” He thrusts into her, hard, when he asks and Beth whimpers against his hand as her eyes squeeze shut again. He lets out a low breathless chuckle, grinding down against her just to hear it again. 

Beth’s eyes snap open and she bites at his hand as she glares up at him. Rio sucks in a breath and yanks his hand away, eyes turning impossibly darker and Beth’s heart skips a beat. 

He’s definitely going to pay her back for that. 

Rio straightens up, hands at her hips as he starts fucking into her roughly, and Beth clings to his arms as she tilts her head to the side, eyes darting over to the door. 

Rio leans down, hand grabbing her chin and jerking up on it and Beth gasps as her eyes snap up to meet his. “Look at me, ma.” 

She digs her nails into his arm in response, breaking skin, but he just laughs as he knocks her hands away and yanks her up so she’s sitting on the desk instead of laying, and Beth lets out a loud moan as he shifts inside of her with the movement. 

She knows someone must have heard _that_. 

She doesn’t care. 

Beth clings to his shoulders as he continues his punishing pace, still pulling at her, like he can’t get her close enough, like he’s trying to _sink into her skin,_ and Beth bites down on his shoulder as she comes hard. Rio jerks against her, cussing underneath his breath as he pushes into her one more time, before he’s spilling into her, fingers pressing into her flesh so hard she has to bite at her lip to keep from crying out again. 

Rio pulls out a minute later, helping her clean up and get dressed and then he’s running his fingers through her hair, tangling them up as he stares down at her and the look in his eyes—the awe and... _reverence_ there is so overwhelming, it takes her breath away. 

Her whole body is screaming for her to pull away and she thinks Rio must clock it in her face, even though she tries to hide it—because she’s never been as good as him at masking herself. 

“Hey,” His voice is gentle as his hands slide out of her hair and down to her shoulders, squeezing lightly, “Tell me bout your plan.” 

Beth instantly relaxes as her mind goes back to her conversation with Stan, with the girls. 

She starts filling him in on the details, becoming increasingly animated the more she talks, and he’s still looking at her with that same fond affection, but he’s deliberately tapered it some, putting her more at ease, and Beth tries to ignore the way that wraps around her heart and _squeezes_. 

She _has to_ ignore it. Can’t let herself get inside her own head about him right now. Can’t be distracted by all of the complicated things he makes her feel. 

Because washing the cash... _that_ makes her feel something. Something almost as good as _he_ makes her feel. 

The opportunities—the possibilities. She _needs_ that. For herself. 

And she has a strong feeling it’s going to be a struggle to balance both—her continued desire for him and her new desire for this business. 


	6. 5 months before prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth and the girls do their first drop.  
> Beth surprises Rio.  
> Rio digs for information.

Beth adjusts the straps of the heavy duffle bag in her hands, shifting on her feet as she looks around the dark playground. 

Annie and Ruby flank her sides, nervous energy rolling off them in waves. Even in the shadows, every emotion shows plain as day across their face. 

She’s repeatedly told them _not_ to be nervous, but the situation with Eddie in their apartment had set them on edge—and kept them there. 

It’s been a week since that incident and the start of them washing Rio’s cash through returns. The girls are still fairly nervous about it and she doesn’t blame them. 

It’s new and strange and something none of them have done before and it’s going to take some time to adjust. 

This is their first drop and Beth is anxious to see Rio. 

“You’d think homeboy never heard of a clock.” Annie mutters under her breath and Ruby makes a noise of agreement next to her. 

Beth rolls her eyes, but they’re not wrong. He’s 10 minutes late already. 

“Fuck it.” Annie continues, moving past Beth, walking off toward the swing set and Beth frowns as she watches her. 

“What are you doing?” 

“I’m tired and my feet hurt.” Annie calls back over her shoulder, right before she plops down onto the left most swing and Beth shakes her head as Ruby lets out a soft chuckle. 

“Alright, _fine_.” Beth mumbles, hauling the bag along with her as she makes her way over to Annie, Ruby trailing not far behind. 

Beth takes the middle swing and Ruby settles into the last one. Beth drops the duffle on the ground beside her, hands coming up to wrap around the metal chains on either side of her. 

They sit silently for a little while, just swaying back and forth, and Beth is taken back to her first time here with Rio. 

Before they’d really known each other. When she was still uncertain about him and the things he did, the secrets he had. When she was still resistant to moving forward with him. 

Admittedly, those feelings still linger, clinging to her like a second skin, an extra layer of protection. 

“So, how exactly is this working again?” Ruby’s voice interrupts her thoughts and Beth’s grip on the chains tighten. 

Ruby’s asked the same questions over and over again the last week, like she can’t quite grasp the concept of what they’re doing and why. Beth knows out of all of them, Ruby is the one with the biggest moral dilemma here. She’s looking for reassurances. 

“We give them the washed cash, they give us our cut, and another batch to clean. And then we do it all over again.” 

“Right.” Ruby whispers, staring up at the sky, and Beth can tell she’s wrestling with some inner guilt. 

“Ruby, it’s okay. Trust me.” Beth says gently. 

“Nothing about this okay, B.” Ruby turns to look at her and the conflict and judgement in her eyes is enough to make Beth flinch. 

“We’re not hurting anyone.” She offers, desperate to give her friend some form of solace. 

“ _We_ may not be, but your _boyfriend_ is and we’re still _breaking the law._ ” Ruby shoots back, clearly agitated. Beth nods slowly, deciding not to respond right away, giving them both a moment to breathe instead. She glances over at Annie, who’s watching them warily. 

After a beat she says, “I get it, Ruby. And I’m sorry I got you involved in this mess. If I could go back...” Beth trails off, not able to finish. 

If she could go back, what? She wouldn’t do any of it? That would be a lie. 

The look Ruby gives her lets her know she’s thinking the same thing. Beth shrugs her shoulders helplessly. She has nothing else to offer. 

Ruby lets out a weary sigh, but doesn’t push further and Beth is torn whether she should feel grateful or worried at that. 

A movement in the shadows off to the side catches her eye and she turns her head to see Rio, Mick, and Cisco slowly approach. 

She waits until they get closer and then she stands, grabbing the duffle bag again as she does. Annie starts to stand too, but after noticing that Ruby is staying firm where she is, she settles back down onto the swing as nonchalantly as possible. Beth swears she sees Rio struggle to suppress a smile as he clocks her movements. 

“Yo. How’s it goin’ ladies?” He asks, that gravelly voice washing over Beth and making her shiver. Of course, he knows the exact effect he has on her, a smirk playing at his lips as he looks her over. 

Beth clears her throat, holding the heavy bag out to him. Mick’s the one who takes it from her, taking it over to the nearby picnic table to count it out with Cisco. “It’s all there.” she adds helpfully, watching them sift through the bundles. They ignore her and she turns to Rio. 

“Okay.” He responds simply with a shrug of his shoulder and she can tell he’s just humoring her, barely acknowledging what she said and Beth glares at him. 

“You don’t trust me?” She asks icily and she hears Annie suck in a breath behind her, and she knows it’s not a good idea to push this, but she doesn’t care. 

“Nah, darlin’, it’s just business.” 

And it shouldn’t hurt as much as it does, because he’s right and she knows it. These moments _have_ to be just business, but... 

The sting is immediate and it pierces deep. 

She knows he can tell too, always knows the effect his words and the meaning behind them have on her, but his stare is hard and unwavering. 

It reminds her of that day in her apartment, after they’d robbed the grocery store and he’d shown up with his boys. 

She resists the urge to look away, to look back at the girls, instead keeping her focus on him, refusing to break. 

But the longer their little staring contest goes on, the more Beth feels heat pool in her belly, shifting a little on her feet as it travels lower, and Rio’s stare is suddenly less hard and more heat and Beth finds herself calculating just how fast they can get out of here— 

And then Mick is in front of her, holding out a thick envelope. “Your cut.” Rio says, voice low as he rocks his jaw a bit and Beth feels herself clench. 

“Oh, for fucks sake.” Annie’s exasperated voice startles Beth out of her trance and she tears her eyes away from Rio to look back over her shoulder at Annie. “Can you two do your eye fucking on your own time. _Some of us_ have better things to do. Like take naps.” 

Ruby huffs as she stands up, plucking the envelope neatly out of Mick’s hand before stepping back, next to Beth. “Thanks, pleasure doin’ business with ya.” There’s a hint of sarcasm there and Beth gives her a look, eyebrow raised. Ruby mimics Beth’s helpless shrug from earlier and Beth can’t help but smile. 

Annie hurriedly stands then too, coming up on Beth’s other side and they both watch Ruby as she thumbs through the cash inside the envelope. 

Rio looks on, clearly amused and Beth puts on her most serious face, mimicking Rio’s voice when she points out, “It's jus’ business, darlin’.” 

He exchanges a look with Mick, who shakes his head, chuckling as him and Cisco head back out across the empty playground with the bag. 

Ruby finally gives her nod of approval as she finishes counting and Rio tilts his head to the side. “All good then?” He snarks and Beth grins. “All good.” She confirms smugly, feeling more than a little giddy at their first successful transaction. 

Beth expects him to leave, but instead he steps up into her space, leaning in close to her ear. “You did good.” He says, and the inflection behind those three simple words is enough to make her want to drag him over to her car and fuck him into the backseat. 

It takes everything in her to resist that urge and then he’s turning away, actually leaving this time and she watches him go, her entire body alive and buzzing. 

\----- 

Beth drives Ruby and Annie back to the apartment, stopping in her room for the little brown bag she had stashed in her closet, and then heads back out, ignoring the knowing looks Annie and Ruby exchange when she says she’ll be back later. 

She heads straight for Rio’s apartment and she’s barely made it through the door when he’s on her, his mouth and hands everywhere and Beth lets out a breathless laugh as she pushes him away. 

“Not even gonna offer me a drink?” She teases, backing away from him and towards the kitchen and he follows, catching her around the waist and pulling her flush against him. 

“You want somethin’ to drink, baby?” He purrs against her lips, guiding her hand down to the front of his jeans and Beth rolls her eyes even as she presses her hand into him. 

“That is _not_ what I meant.” She says, finally pulling away again, swinging the bag in her other hand a little bit, and his eyes flicker down to it. “I have something for you.” She adds, a little breathlessly, flushing as she thinks about what’s inside the bag. “But I need an _actual_ drink first.” 

Rio squints at her before eyeing the bag curiously and Beth knows he’s going to try and snatch it away from her, so she makes sure to hold it out of his reach. She turns away and heads straight for the liquor and he follows. She sets the bag on the kitchen counter and pulls two glasses down, pouring them both drinks. She can hear him behind her, pulling one of the island stools out and settling into it. 

Beth hooks the bag around her wrist and takes both glasses over to the island, handing Rio’s drink over to him. She stays opposite him, not wanting to get too close yet. She lets the bag slip off, but keeps her grip on the glass, bringing it up to her lips so she can down half its contents. 

Rio observes her quietly, his eyes tracking her every movement, but he remains still, like he thinks any movement on his end will spook her. 

He’s probably right. 

“I’ve been doing some...research.” She starts hesitantly, staring hard at the amber liquid in her glass, avoiding eye contact. 

“Oh yeah?” His voice rumbles out and she can tell even in those two words he’s restraining himself. From pushing her to answer. From getting up and coming around to her side of the island. She can practically feel his fingers slipping underneath her chin, can perfectly visualize the amused glint in his eye as he forced hers to meet his. 

Beth brings the glass back up to her lips, taking another long drink and then sets it down firmly on the counter, moving her hands to the bag, fingers tracing over the edges. “So, I’ve been thinking a lot...about us...” Beth trails off, wincing a little at how unsure and clumsy she sounds. But she’s starting to feel a warmth wash over her from the booze at least, and it calms her nerves a bit. She takes a deep breath in and continues. “I’ve been thinking about the weekend we spent at your parents cabin and the _game_ we played—” 

( _“You_ **_have_ ** _to play.” Beth pleads, reaching over and placing a hand on his thigh, giving it a quick squeeze. Rio’s eyes darken at her touch and Beth’s breathing quickens as he leans forward, instantly ready to barter._

_“I play, what do I get?” He asks, voice low as he leans in closer._

_“Me.” She answers instantly._

_Rio huffs out a laugh at that. “Oh mami, I always had you. What do I_ **_get_** _?”_

_Beth rolls her eyes before wetting her lips and looking up at him through her lashes. “Anything you want.”_ ) 

She sees Rio’s eyes narrow and she’s momentarily confused until she remembers they played _two_ games that night. 

( _“I wanna play our own game.” Beth whispers to him._

_And maybe that wasn’t the right wording, because Rio’s grabbing her hand, his eyes dark as he licks his lips, sucking his bottom one in before leaning into her._

_“Me too. It’s time to pay up, sweetheart.” He purrs in her ear, before pulling her up and away from the table while everyone else is still distracted._ ) 

She opens her mouth to backtrack, but he beats her to it. “Is this about the business? Because you can’t jus’ keep pushin’ your way in on that shit, Elizabeth—” 

Beth’s vehemently shaking her head. “That’s not what—” She cuts herself off with a sigh, regretting every choice of words she’s made since she started this conversation. This is not how she wanted this to go at all. She wanted it to be fun and sexy and now she’s made it clinical with her research comment and pivoted the conversation in a completely different direction. 

“I meant, when we were talking about...sex. What you’ve done that I...haven’t.” Beth swallows thickly as she slides the bag closer to him, but he doesn’t move to take it. 

“I said alotta things during that game, you wanna be more specific?” His voice is light and teasing and Beth rolls her eyes because he’s really going to try and make her say it. 

But then she gets curious, distracted as she thinks back to the things he had drank to. “Well, I’ve never been paid for sex.” She starts and Rio grins, clearly amused that she’s bringing that one up first. “Or...had a threesome.” She adds, tucking her hair behind her ear a little nervously. 

There’s a pause and then, “C’mon Elizabeth, you tellin’ me you aint ever been curious? Never taken a lil walk on the wild side?” Rio teases again and Beth rolls her eyes. “This is college, baby.” 

And, yeah, she had—once. Dean had coaxed her into kissing Mandi, a cute girl from a sister sorority and she’d enjoyed it a lot more than she thought she would. The kiss had been softer and sweeter and hotter than any she’d shared with Dean. But then Dean had tried to take it a step too far, of course, inserting himself between the two of them, suggesting a threesome in the roundabout way that only Dean could. She’d left the party soon after. 

Beth snorts now, shaking her head as she rolls her glass between her hands, watching the liquid swirl around. “Sure, guys think threesomes are hot with two girls, but how many times do you see it happen with two guys.” She feels herself start to blush just thinking about it. 

Rio’s quiet for a moment, and she almost breaks, almost looks up at him. But then he’s asking, voice low and gravelly, “Who said those threesomes I had were with just girls?” 

And Beth stops breathing for a second as her head snaps back up to look at him. His face is serious, but she can’t tell if he is. “Well...I just assumed...” Beth stammers, trailing off, mind completely blanking on how to continue. Her hands tighten around the glass. 

Rio hums, but doesn’t say anything else and Beth’s eyes scan over his face, trying to find a hint of something, _anything_ , there. 

“I’ll try anything once.” He says with a shrug, like he’s talking about trying out a new restaurant. 

And Beth is just... she’s not even able to _name_ all of the feelings swirling around in the pit of her stomach right now. 

But the way she’s imagining Rio with another guy--she knows _that_ particular feeling. 

The one that goes straight between her thighs. 

“Yeah.” He husks, noting the shift in the air, in _her_ , watching her closely with those dark eyes, and Beth knows she’s a goner. 

She lets go of her drink and slowly makes her way around the island, and Rio shifts in his seat to face her. Beth doesn’t even think twice before _climbing into his lap_ , straddling him on the stool, and it’s a little awkward and not very comfortable, but when she grinds down on him, they both groan. Rio’s hands come around to grab her ass, pulling her impossibly closer and Beth leans down, forcing Rio’s head back as she kisses him. 

It’s not until she pulls back to catch her breath and Rio’s kissing down her neck, that her eye catches on the bag still on the counter, and she remembers what she came here to show him. 

Beth pushes him back and leans sideways, almost sliding right off Rio’s lap, giggling when his grip tightens to keep her in place. She stretches her arm out and grabs the handles of the bag, pulling it closer to the edge of the countertop. “Open it.” She says and Rio just stares at her for a minute before grabbing it and bringing it between them. He keeps one arm hooked around her and uses his other hand to open the bag up and push the tissue paper aside. Beth’s watching him closely and she can tell as soon as he sees what’s inside, because his whole body goes still before his head snaps up to look at her, eyebrows raised. 

Well, she wanted to surprise him and she thinks she’s most definitely done that. 

“I’ve never...” She doesn’t look at him as she shrugs her shoulder, can already feel heat kissing her cheeks, even as she wills it not to. 

“Elizabeth.” His voice is serious, firm, and she reluctantly lifts her eyes to meet his. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” 

“I want to do this with you.” She says. “Only you.” 

He pulls her down into a kiss at that and Beth moans against his mouth, rocking her hips into him and his grip on her tightens. 

“Y’know, you still owe me from that weekend.” He murmurs against her lips as he slides a hand up to cup her breast and Beth shivers against him. 

( _Beth rolls her hips into his, feeling breathless already and Rio nibbles on her bottom lip, hands coming up, skimming over her back before sliding over to her breasts._

_“You still owe me sweetheart, and I think you’ll be payin’ up with these.” He husks, squeezing them lightly and Beth grinds down on him, so wet for him already, she might agree to just about anything right now._ ) 

Suddenly he’s sliding off the stool, and Beth yelps as she scrambles at his shoulders and her legs tighten around his waist to keep from falling. The bag is squashed between them as he walks them over to his bed and then he unceremoniously drops her and the bag on top of it and Beth scowls up at him. 

Rio reaches over and dumps the contents of the bag out onto the bed, grinning as he picks up the box with the plug in it. “Aw baby, you got my favorite color?” 

Beth squirms a little on the bed as she watches him turn the box over in his hands. There had been an insane amount of colors to choose from, and she’d finally settled on a pastel green. “It was the only color they had left.” She lies, lifting her chin, unwilling to admit she’d chosen it just for him. 

Rio huffs out a laugh as he shakes his head, tossing the box down and picking up one of the bottles of lube instead. “Take off your shirt.” 

Beth feels herself clench as her heart rate kicks up. She hesitates for a second and then scoots herself further up the bed, settling back against the headboard, before grabbing the hem of her shirt and pulling it up and over her head. She tosses it on the floor next to the bed and then reaches her hands up, smoothing her hair back into place. 

Rio climbs up onto the bed, setting the lube down beside him and Beth lets out a tiny squeak as he wraps his hands around her ankles and yanks, until she’s splayed flat across the bed. 

And then he’s undoing her pants and yanking those off as well and Beth reaches for him, wanting to get him undressed too, feel his skin underneath her fingertips, but Rio has other plans. He leans down to mouth at her breasts and Beth’s hands come up to clutch at his shoulder and the back of his head. He nips and sucks and licks over every inch of exposed skin, before sliding his hand underneath her and flicking the bra clasp open, pulling it off and tossing it aside. 

And then his mouth is repeating all his previous actions on her nipples and Beth moans as she yanks at his shirt. Rio grins as he breaks away from her, pulling his shirt off and then quickly shedding the rest of his clothing and Beth blinks up at him as he grabs the lube and pops the cap open, squirting a little onto the valley of soft skin between her breasts. 

Beth sucks in a sharp breath at how cold it is, but then his hands are there, gently spreading it around, warming her back up, fingers grazing at her nipples and it’s not long before she’s moaning again. He brings a hand back to slide over his cock, pumping it a few times and she feels breathless just watching him. 

“Ready?” He asks, sounding a little breathless himself, and Beth nods, sliding her hands up to her breasts, pushing them together as he moves up her body to straddle her. 

And _god_ , she never thought she’d find something like this so hot—be so unbearably turned on just watching him fuck her breasts. 

She uses her mouth too, licking and sucking at him every time he thrusts in and his hands come down on the headboard, gripping it as he watches, mouth open—at what she’s sure is an absolutely obscene sight below him. 

“ _Fuck, Elizabeth_...” He’s panting above her, using the leverage from the headboard to push more of himself into her mouth, and Beth takes as much as she can and it’s not long before he’s spilling into her mouth with a groan and she’s swallowing as much of him as she can. 

He just stares down at her for a moment, eyes dark and hooded and drunk on lust as he catches his breath and then he’s shifting off of her and flipping her over onto her stomach. Beth shivers as he trails his fingers lightly down her spine and then over the swell of her ass, before settling between her legs. He teases her with his fingers, barely touching her, and Beth’s hips move restlessly as she lifts them slightly, needing more of the friction he’s torturously keeping from her. A little whimper escapes before she can stop it and Rio responds by kissing his way down her back. His hands are at her hips then, pulling them up as he buries his face in her cunt, mouthing at her through her underwear and Beth moans as she fists her hands into the sheets. 

Then he’s yanking her underwear down and his mouth is on her and she gasps as her hips rock forward and he grabs them, yanking her back. He’s never done this like _this_ before and it’s caught her off guard. 

And she’s just started relaxing into it when he slides his hands from her hips to her ass, and spreads her open so he can lick a strip up, briefly tonguing at her hole and Beth inhales sharply as she jerks away. Rio chuckles softly and she turns her head to glare at him, kicking her foot out and connecting solidly with his hip. He cusses low, right before biting down on one of her ass cheeks and Beth lets out a yelp that’s met with another chuckle. Before she can retaliate though, he has his face buried in her cunt again and her mind goes completely blank of anything besides his mouth and all the wonderful things he’s doing with it. 

He’s pulling away again a minute later and Beth whines at the loss of his mouth. She props herself up on her forearms and looks back at him and sees him reaching for the lube. “You ready?” He asks, free hand smoothing over her ass and Beth swallows thickly. 

_Was she ready_? 

She nods hesitantly and watches as he applies some to his fingers and then he’s spreading her ass cheeks open again and she turns back around, fingers twisting into the sheets. It’s not as cold this time, since he’s warmed it up with his hands, but it still feels...god, she doesn’t even _know._

Not bad...just... _different_. 

Dean had never shown any interest in this, which she found a great relief in, as she had never been interested in exploring this with him either. 

Rio’s fingers are spreading the lube generously around, inching closer to her hole, circling it lightly, and she stiffens, automatically clenching up. 

He chuckles again and it has her flushing hot. “ _Relax_ , mama.” He murmurs, right before he mouths at her cunt again—kissing and licking and sucking. Beth moans as her eyes flutter shut, momentarily distracted from what his fingers are doing. This time when he probes at her, she only stiffens slightly and he concentrates all his attention on her clit, making her cry out, right before he slips just the tip of his finger inside. Beth sucks in a breath, hips trying to jerk away, but Rio holds her firmly in place, shushing her with quiet reassurances as he places soft kisses against the back of her thighs and her cunt. “It’s okay mama, you’re doin’ so good.” 

Beth shivers at his words, her upper body slowly sinking back into the mattress as he resumes his ministrations. 

Beth moans when he sinks his finger in deeper, his tongue on her clit soothing the sensation. He goes slow, giving her time to adjust, and it takes a lot less time than she thought it would for her to relax into it completely. She’s close—so, _so_ close, by the time he’s got two fingers buried deep inside of her, scrambling at the sheets as her hips rock back desperately. It only takes a few more pumps of his fingers and swipes of his tongue and she’s coming apart, eyes squeezing shut and mouth falling open as her orgasm ripples throughout her entire body. 

Rio gives her a minute to recover before gently pulling his fingers out, leaning over to nip at her shoulder and then soothe it with a kiss, before he moves off the bed. Beth collapses onto her side, watching him as he makes his way over to the bathroom. 

Her panties are still around her knees and she reaches down to pull them back up, shivering a little as the fabric slides over her ass. She knows she should get the rest of her clothes on; she needs to get home and ready for bed so she’s not dragging tomorrow. She has an early class in the morning and then a shift at the café. 

But her legs feel like jello. 

“’Ey.” Rio’s poking his head out from behind the bathroom door, and she vaguely registers the sound of the shower traveling out and across the room. “C’mere, let’s get you cleaned up.” 

Beth brings her fingers up to trail over her still slippery breasts and yeah—that’s not a bad idea. 

“I don’t know if I can move.” She calls out, only half joking. He says something, but it’s muffled now that he’s back inside the bathroom and Beth sighs as she sits up, looking around for her bra. She spots it on the floor halfway into the living room and— 

God, he really just tossed it as far away as possible. 

Beth slides out of the bed, shivering a little because the hardwood floors are always unreasonably cold in Rio’s loft. She crosses the room quickly, bending over to pick up her bra and she’s just straightening up, untwisting it so she can put it back on, when Rio suddenly comes up behind her and snatches it out of her hands. “Nuh uh. I want you jus’ like this.” He rasps, tossing it clear across the room again. Beth turns, hands on hips, to glare at him. He pulls her to him, her breasts brushing up against his chest and Beth bites at her lip. “You okay?” He asks, hands sliding down her back before settling on her hips. He gives them a light squeeze and Beth smiles. “Yeah, I’m good.” 

“Good. Cause I wanna come on these before we wash 'em off.” He says, grabbing her breasts as he lowers his head to playfully nip at them and Beth giggles as she pushes him away. He grins down at her, grabbing her hand and leading her to the bathroom. 

After they shower, they re-dress, Rio faster than Beth, who is still moving a little slow after Rio decided to repeat his ministrations from the bed in the shower. With his mouth—with his _fingers_. 

Her body is _exhausted_. But the _good_ kind of exhausted. 

Beth’s sitting on the bed, slipping her shoes back on, when she hears Rio let out a string of obscenities under his breath and when she looks over at him—well, to say he looks pissed is an understatement. 

She knows better than to ask what’s going on. That’s usually met with silence or a “You aint gotta worry about it.” 

It’s infuriating, to say the least. 

Beth stands up as she runs her fingers through her hair a few times. She pulls her rubber band off her wrist and is just gathering it into a loose ponytail when Rio’s voice cuts across the room. 

“How’re things goin’ at the café?” 

Beth freezes for a second, before slowly twisting the rest of the rubber band through. She carefully turns to face where he stands in the living room. 

He never just asks about the café. 

“It’s fine. Busy.” She answers, somewhat cautiously. He’s still texting on his phone, but he nods to let her know he’s listening. 

“Busy, huh? Good thing you got that extra help then, yeah?” 

And she supposes this would seem conversational to anyone else, but Beth is not anyone else. 

He’s tense, she can see his jaw clenching even from here, and she knows he’s trying to dig for info. 

But why? 

Her extra help is Eddie. But he isn’t coming outright and asking about him, so he must also be trying to _hide_ what he wants from her. 

Of course. 

Beth doesn’t give a direct answer, just makes a noise of agreement as she bends over to pick up the bag from the adult shop—having apparently been kicked off the bed earlier. She busies herself with replacing all of its contents, sneaking quick glances at Rio as she does. 

“Workin’ alotta late shifts?” He continues to prod and Beth fiddles with the box in her hands as she thinks of how to answer. 

Before he got shot, Eddie had been asking to leave early for several shifts and Beth had been letting him. They could handle closing without him, so it’d been fine with her to let him go, but now she’s wondering _where_ he’d been going. 

Why Rio seems to want to know now. 

“Oh you know, gotta keep the masses caffeinated, even late into the night.” She avoids directly answering his question, dropping the box into the bag and hooking her fingers underneath the handle. Despite not much time having passed, Eddie had insisted he could work his shift tomorrow. She _could_ keep an eye on him, maybe figure out what’s going on, on her own... 

“I should go. Ruby and I have a study session.” She adds offhandedly, briskly making her way to the living room, stopping to quickly kiss his cheek before trying to move past him. 

“Hold up.” He says, grabbing her arm to stop her and Beth’s heart skips a beat. But he doesn’t question her further, instead takes the bag from her hand. “Leave that here.” 

Beth lets out her sigh of relief on a laugh, shaking her head slightly as she turns to leave, calling out a goodbye over her shoulder. 

As she makes her way down the building's stairwell, she combs her brain for what baking ingredients she has on hand at the apartment. 

Eddie’s big on her chocolate chip cookies, and she may have just enough time to bake a batch tonight to take into the cafe with her tomorrow. 

A little bribery never hurt right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, a week later and Eddie's doing just fine. Bullet holes mean nothing in the GG Universe, it's canon.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olivia shows up on campus, creating tension between Beth and Rio.  
> Aaron tries to make a deal with Beth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terribly sorry at how long it's taken me to update this fic!  
> I've added links to visual references for characters/college spaces for this fic, you can find them in the main fic description(both here and in part one).  
> I've also been posting mood boards alongside fic updates over on my Tumblr (@sdktrs12) - just little sneak peeks to what each chapter is about.

“El— _Beth_?” 

Beth freezes in her tracks and slowly turns around, the absolute surprise that must be etched across her face apparent by the utter delight on Olivia’s face as a sly smile pulls at her lips, and she reminds Beth of Rio _so much_ it makes her dizzy for a second. 

“I’m sorry, I know you prefer Beth.” Olivia laughs out, stepping out of line and up to the counter and Beth moves away from the door leading to the back of the café. 

She’d been headed to the back office to check the schedule one last time, trying to memorize Eddie’s shift over the next several days, but all that is forgotten as she moves closer to the counter and Rio’s little sister. 

“No, no, it’s fine, you can call me whatever you’re comfortable with. I know it’s...confusing...” Beth trails off awkwardly, unsure of how to finish her sentence. How to put into words the weird dynamic her and Rio have had since the start, the way only _he_ uses her full first name. 

“Yeah, Chris has always had a thing with names.” Olivia responds, dropping her elbows onto the counter and pillowing her chin to look up at Beth and for the second time in less than five minutes, Beth is thrown by just how _much_ of her brother she can see in her. 

“So, what are you doing here?” Beth asks, automatically glancing around the café for Rio. 

“Oh, he’s not here.” Olivia says with another grin and Beth’s attention falls on her again. “I’m supposed to be meeting him out on the quad but I really need a frappe. I didn’t know you worked here.” 

The way she adds it quickly at the end, makes Beth think otherwise. 

But she doubts Rio would’ve told her, especially after the way she’d popped up at the lake house. 

So she must’ve done her own reconnaissance. 

“Uh huh.” Beth hums with a small smile, before she starts moving back toward the machines lining the counter along the wall. “I can make you a frappe. What kind?” 

“Caramel. Biggest size you have.” Olivia replies and Beth laughs as she grabs a twenty ounce cup and sets about making her drink. 

“On the house.” Beth says when she’s done, sliding it across the counter to Olivia. She looks like she might protest, so Beth cuts her off before she can. “So, do you and _Chris_ have plans or is this just a surprise visit?” 

The name feels weird on her lips and Beth feels even weirder prying about their plans, but she can’t stop herself, she is just too curious and she knows Olivia is an open book. 

She shoves the thought aside that this is a bit like cheating—Rio’s so selective with the details he decides to share, she’s not sure how enthusiastic he’d be to her grilling his little sister. 

“Oh, this is definitely a surprise, he would never willingly invite me here.” Olivia giggles, running a hand through her hair, and Beth recognizes it as the nervous gesture it is—because _she’s_ done it more times than she can count. “I’m trying to get some ideas for this party, but you know him—he’d die before voluntarily making anything related to his birthday any easier.” Olivia rolls her eyes, but Beth is frozen in place, unable to even nod in agreement, because... 

_Birthday?!_

Olivia’s eyes widen and her mouth drops open slightly as she takes in Beth's expression. “He didn’t tell you? _Of course_ he didn’t tell you.” Olivia shakes her head, her eyes darting over to glare out the huge windows that look out across campus, like maybe it’ll make Rio appear so she can scold him. “He probably would’ve mentioned it right at midnight, when it was all over. He’s such a jerk.” 

“Some people just don’t like their birthdays.” Beth says with a shrug, trying to push her hurt feelings aside as she rationalizes why Rio wouldn’t share that particular bit of information with her. 

“Yeah, the last few years especially...” Olivia trails off, still gazing out the window, but Beth can tell she’s lost focus, swept up in her own inner thoughts and Beth wonders if she’s thinking about their dad. She seems to snap herself out of it though, visibly shaking herself a little as she turns back to Beth with a smile. “What about you? _You_ like your birthday, right?” 

Beth tries to hide her grimace, but Olivia clocks it immediately and lets out a long suffering groan. 

“I’m sorry.” Beth laughs out. “I’ve always been much better at celebrating other people.” 

Olivia instantly pounces on Beth’s statement. “Okay, so help me plan Chris’ party.” 

Beth balks, the ‘no’ on the tip of her tongue, her mind already sorting through a catalogue of excuses. 

Olivia must see it on her face because she quickly sets about convincing Beth of all the reasons why she’s the perfect person to help her plan a party, making sure to bat her eyelashes and layer on some not so subtle flattery and Beth is instantly reminded of how she talked her way into staying up at the cabin and the party that followed. 

And there she went again, reminding Beth of Rio and the way he carefully twisted and manipulated any situation he was a part of—whether he wanted something or not. 

Except she thinks Olivia doesn’t even realize she’s doing it—and her motives are _far_ more wholesome than her brothers. 

Beth’s still debating giving in or not (leaning toward giving in really, because while it may not be _intentional,_ Olivia is _very_ persuasive), when she notices someone approaching the two of them out of the corner of her eye, and when she turns her head to get a better look, she almost groans out loud. 

“Hey, Beth.” Aaron greets her when he gets close enough and Beth forces a polite smile. 

“Hi, Aaron. If you’re ready to order, Steph can help you.” Beth says, gesturing out toward Steph behind the register. 

“Oh, uh yeah, thanks.” He gives her a tight smile and runs his hand through his hair, scratching at the back of his head a little nervously and Beth’s brow furrows as she squints up at him. What the hell was wrong with him? “I actually came here to talk to _you_.” 

_Oh._

“About what?” She asks, and it comes out a little sharper than necessary. 

Aaron’s smile falters a little and Beth feels bad for a split second. She forces herself to remember what a jackass he was the last few times she’d talked to him and tries to force that guilt down. 

“I have a... _proposition_ for you.” He says, turning his head to look quickly around the café before continuing. “You going to be at the warehouse tonight?” 

“Why, are _you_ going to be at the warehouse tonight?” Beth asks, thinking back to the last time she saw him there. She wonders if Rio knows he’s been at the parties or if he’s just been hanging out under the radar. 

“ _Oh_ , what’s happening at the warehouse?” 

Both Aaron and Beth’s attention quickly turns to Olivia, whose gaze is bouncing between the two of them, looking far too intrigued. 

_Shit._

“A party. Interested?” Aaron says, shifting his body slightly so he can face Olivia, that automatic charming smile of his sliding easily into place and Olivia’s returning it with one of her own and— 

A series of cuss words run through Beth’s head as she smacks her hands down onto the counter, drawing both of their attention back to her. “She’s a minor, Aaron.” Beth sweetly points out and it’s almost comical how fast Aaron steps back from her, a look of pure panic briefly crossing his face. 

“It’s true. I am _only_ sixteen.” Olivia confirms forlornly and Beth has to press her lips together to keep from laughing. “ _But_ I will definitely be at this warehouse party. It sounds fun!” Beth’s smile quickly drops from her face and she slowly starts to shake her head, ready to protest, when Olivia’s phone starts to vibrate. She quickly swipes it open, rolling her eyes as she reads the text on the screen. “That’s Chris now.” Olivia says, turning back to Beth, “We can finish talking about the birthday party tonight. Don’t tell him I said anything, okay?” And just like that, she’s gone, a flurry of chaotic energy that’s just blown through and turned Beth’s whole day upside down with just a few sentences. 

_Fuck._

“So, I guess I’ll see you tonight?” Aaron asks meekly, his hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck as he ducks his head and Jesus, had Beth really fallen for all of this before? 

“Yeah, I’ll be there.” Beth replies, making sure to keep her tone nice and neutral and Aaron gives her one last tentative smile before he’s gone as well, leaving Beth with a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. 

That feeling is only compounded by Eddie disappearing from his shift early, yet again. 

She has a feeling this is going to be a very long night. 

\------ 

Ruby has plans with Stan for the night, so she can’t make it out to the warehouse, and it doesn’t escape Beth’s notice that she’s successfully avoided joining any parties there from the start. 

Beth doesn’t have any trouble convincing Annie to join her however. They swing by and pick up Nancy on the way and Beth’s going over the one hundred excuses she has to _not_ bring Olivia, when she gets a text saying she’ll meet them there. 

Beth doesn’t even know _how_ Olivia got her damn number to begin with. 

The whole way to the warehouse she prays Rio won’t be there. 

When they walk in through the side door, Beth squints through the low light and foggy haze, making her way through the crowd to try and find Aaron, while also keeping an eye out for Olivia. 

“What _is_ this place?” Beth barely hears Nancy urgently whisper the question to Annie and she bites back a smile as she looks over her shoulder at the two of them. 

“It’s a warehouse Nance. It’s a magical portal where people can use booze and sex to escape their countless emotional issues.” Annie spreads her arms out wide as she talks, spinning a little in place as they continue through the crowd and she brushes against more than a few people, but ignores them in favor of grinning over at Nancy, who rolls her eyes and looks around, uncertain. 

Beth doesn’t blame her really, the crowd that shows up at these parties is...fairly diverse. Not like the bars on campus. 

They finally move far enough into the warehouse where the crowd is denser and Beth spots Aaron almost immediately. 

She recognizes a few of the guys with him from the fraternity and she breathes a sigh of relief that none of them are Dean. “He’s over there.” 

“I think we’ll go get some drinks.” Annie says, eyes searching for the drink table and Beth nods. She knows she’s trying to keep Nancy away from this, for the most part. 

Beth makes her way over to Aaron while Annie grabs Nancy’s hand and moves in the opposite direction. 

Aaron finally notices her approach, grinning as she gets closer. “Hey, so you made it.” 

She forces herself not to roll her eyes at his smug tone and crosses her arms over her chest as she shrugs. “I was curious.” 

His eyes dart over to his friends, who are talking amongst themselves, barely sparing Beth a glance. He still shifts though, stepping off the side, and she follows his lead. 

“So, I know you have... _a thing_ with Rio.” Aaron starts, and it’s weird, hearing Rio’s name come out of Aaron’s mouth. It makes her feel... _uneasy_. 

“Oh really?” She asks, carefully keeping her voice and expression in check. 

“Look, I know what he does and I’m assuming you do too, based on that argument you were having with Dean the other day—” 

“There was no argument and that’s a lot of assumptions to make from a few seconds of conversation.” 

“All I’m saying is, I’m just looking for an in.” Aaron’s voice is tight and filled with obvious exasperation and Beth’s eyebrows snap together as she regards him. 

He seems to be serious, but Beth proceeds with caution. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.” 

Aaron opens his mouth to continue, but is cut off by Annie, drink in hand, but minus Nancy. “Dude, you need to tell gang friend to invest in an interior decorator if he’s going to keep this business up...” She trails off as she glances between Beth and Aaron, sensing the tension. “What’s going on?” She asks, words coming out slowly and carefully. 

Beth can see the reluctance on Aaron’s face in broaching the topic with Annie around, so decides to throw him for a loop instead, by bringing it up first. “Well, I think Aaron here was just about to proposition me with some activities of the _illegal_ variety.” 

“ _Really_?” Annie asks, drawing the word out as her eyes widen and she takes Aaron in with a whole new appreciation. “Well, Aaron, don’t let me stop you. Please, tell us more.” 

Aaron looks like he’s regretting ever having broached the topic, but to his credit, forges ahead anyway, cutting right to the chase. “Your boyfriend has product and I happen to have an extensive buyer’s list. I was hoping maybe we could come to some sort of deal.” 

“I don’t think I’d be interested in whatever it is you or your frat boy friends are looking for.” Beth almost instantly replies, eyes narrowing as she thinks about all the possible (and truly awful) drugs they could want. 

“Beth, I know you and I have had a rocky history, but I really think we could work out a deal here, that could be profitable for the both of us.” 

“Okay, so sell it to me.” She says, interest still piqued despite her preconceptions. Her arms tighten across her chest as she hugs herself a little closer, eyes sliding over to Aaron’s friends, off to the side. She notices one of them keep sneaking glances their way and he looks so familiar, but she can’t quite place him... 

“You know our house is one of the most popular houses on campus. You’ve been to our parties; you know the kind of guys that join our fraternity—” 

“Rich assholes, right?” Annie interjects and Beth presses her lips together to keep from snorting out a laugh. “Behave, Annie.” She says instead. 

“It’s fine. Yes, “rich assholes” as your sister so kindly put it. We have a lot of money to burn and right now our source is tapped out.” 

Beth turns his words over in her head, thinking them through. She doesn’t trust him, but the hell if his offer isn’t incredibly tempting still. 

They’re either desperate or know Rio’s reputation, and either way, they’re easy targets for high prices. 

If she wanted... 

“What _exactly_ are we talking about here?” Beth asks. There’s no way in hell she’s just getting them any drugs they want, especially any they can use to slip into their co-ed counterparts drinks. 

“Look, not all of our brothers are rich assholes,” He looks pointedly to Annie here, who gives him her widest smile, “Broke college kids are looking for regular drugs too. The healthcare system is fucked. You think they’re going to the doctors? No, they’re self medicating.” 

“Amen to that.” Annie says as she sips on her drink. 

“Although, I’d be lying if I said we wouldn’t also be looking for something harder than Zyrtec as well.” Aaron adds with a small smile and Beth shifts on her feet, dropping her arms so she can reach over and take Annie’s drink. She needs a minute to think, so she brings it up to her lips, taking small slow sips, the fizz of the sugary soda bubbling over her tongue and down her throat. 

She finally hands the drink back over to Annie, taking a deep breath in, but before she can say anything, a high pitched “ _Elizabeth_!” pulls everyone's attention to the left, right before Olivia practically launches herself at Beth, pulling her down into a hug. Beth stumbles a little as she tries to keep herself, and Olivia, upright. Beth feels more than a little awkward, stiff and unsure of what to do, but Olivia pulls away before she can fully react, completely unperturbed at Beth’s lack of affection, giggling as she steps back. “I texted you!” She proclaims, waving the phone clutched in one hand out and Beth automatically reaches into her back pocket to pull hers out. “You did? Wait, how do you even know—” 

Beth’s swiping her phone open as she talks, her attention split between the phone screen and taking in Olivia’s glassy eyes and flushed appearance, when she stops abruptly because her eyes catch on _Lucas_ , of all people, as he steps up next to Olivia. The grin that spreads across his face when _he_ sees _her_ is infectious and she can feel the corners of her mouth tugging up into a smile in return. Before she can greet him, or ask what either of them are _doing_ , Olivia pulls her attention away once more. 

“Oh my gosh, what is _this_?” Olivia squeals, as she tugs Beth’s phone out of her hand, her eyes glued to Beth’s home screen and Beth inwardly groans. “I cannot believe you actually got a picture of Chris. That’s like photographing Bigfoot. You guys are _so cute_!” 

“Oh, that was all me. And trust me, it wasn’t easy.” Annie pipes up from beside Beth and Olivia looks up and over at her and lets out a little snort of laughter. “Yeah, nothing ever is with him.” 

(Lucas leans in to get a better look at the screen, eyebrows shooting up in surprise when he finally sees it. Beth glances over at Annie, who mouths “Chris?” at her and Beth clarifies with a quiet “Rio.”) 

And Annie’s right, all credit for the picture does belong to her. And it _is_ a pretty cute picture, she can begrudgingly admit. 

Annie had snuck it in on both of them. Beth’s never been big on selfies or taking tons of pictures, but getting _Rio_ in one was next to impossible. Like photographing Bigfoot, as Olivia had so accurately put it. It’s never really bothered her, never been a huge point of contention between them, but she had been secretly ecstatic that Annie had managed to snap this one. 

It’s from one of the many nights they’d all met up to hang out at Rio’s bar. It’s taken from further away—Annie had been playing pool with Eddie, and Beth and Rio were seated at one of the tall tables towards the back. They’re leaning into each other, Rio whispering something into Beth’s ear, a faint smile playing at her lips as she listened. Annie had sent it to her later that night, no warning or explanation, and Beth had almost immediately made it her background. She’d been nervous the first time Rio had noticed it. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but him sending it to himself was not the first thing she would’ve guessed. 

She smiles as she remembers the flutter in her chest as she’d watched him do it. 

“I’m Olivia, Chris’ lil sister.” 

And with Olivia’s self introduction to Annie, Beth is snapped back to the present _and_ the past—the same proud proclamation she’d given when introducing herself to Beth at their family cabin. 

Annie’s eyebrows shoot up and— _right_ , Beth hasn’t really filled Annie or Ruby in on...much of anything when it comes to Rio. 

“I’m Annie, _Beth’s_ little sister.” Annie replies, absolutely vibrating with delight at Olivia’s presence. 

And as if _that_ wasn’t enough to have to contend with, Aaron clears his throat loudly and Beth is reminded of the whole reason she’s here to begin. 

“So, do we have a deal or...” Aaron trails off, obvious in his discomfort with their newfound audience as his eyes dart over them nervously. 

“Hey, tall hot guy from the café!” Olivia grins, waving a finger in Aaron’s direction as she steps closer and Beth shifts so she’s in between the two of them. 

“I’ll think about it.” Beth answers, biting her tongue on the automatic apology that wants to slip out, offering a tight smile instead. 

“You’ll think about it?” Aaron repeats back at her, eyebrows furrowed, and it's obvious he was expecting a straight yes or no answer tonight. 

Beth nods quickly, ready to get Olivia away from this whole situation as soon as possible. “I have your number, I’ll let you know.” She adds, before turning around, grabbing Annie’s arm as she also tries to gently usher Olivia off in the other direction, gently taking her phone back as she does. She doesn’t care where they end up, she just wants them away from here. Lucas seems to get what she’s trying to do because he slips an arm easily around Olivia’s shoulders, letting her lean on him as he guides her away. 

“Look at _you,_ Ms. Crime Boss. Making illicit drug deals in shady warehouses.” Annie laughs out, bumping her shoulder into Beth’s. There’s a definite bounce in her step as they follow Lucas’ lead, her obvious giddiness at Beth’s and Aaron’s interaction practically pouring out of her in waves. 

“Don’t call me that.” Beth scolds, keeping her voice low as she eyes Olivia, who is seemingly oblivious as she giggles up at Lucas. “And I did _not_ make any deals...at least not _yet_.” 

Annie scoffs as she rolls her eyes but Beth’s attention stays trained on Olivia as they make their way through the crowd. “Where’s Nancy anyway?” She asks absentmindedly, as they slow down, coming to a stop when they reach the far wall of the warehouse. 

“Oh, she saw one of her friends, wanted to go talk to them. Figured it was better to have her over there during...” Annie trails off as she waves her hand back towards where they left Aaron and Beth nods an understanding, as she turns and looks out over the crowd. She’s hoping Rio doesn’t pop up like a damn genie, as he is wont to do. 

“I’m gonna go find her though and we’ll meet back here, okay?” Annie says and Beth nods again, watching as her sister wanders off back through the crowd. 

“So, what’s up with you and tall hot guy?” Olivia is asking, drawing Beth’s attention back to her. 

“What? Nothing. And his name is Aaron.” Beth answers, taking in Olivia’s slightly disheveled appearance again. 

Her eyes narrow as she shifts her focus to Lucas, and he seems to immediately read the accusation there because he throws his hands up defensively. “She came to me like this.” 

“Came to you from _where_?” Beth demands, then thinks to add, “How do you two even _know_ each other?” 

“Oh my god, did you two date?” Olivia interrupts, eyes wide and Beth squints at her, confused. “You and _Aaron_.” She quickly clarifies, playfully drawing Aaron’s name out at the end. 

Beth hesitates a fraction of a second too long and cusses silently as Olivia’s eyes light up and a wide grin stretches across her face, bringing out her dimples. 

“ _No_.” Beth instantly denies, tone sharp, and Jesus— _why_ had she hesitated to begin with? They _hadn’t_ dated. “How do _you_ know each other?” She asks again, bringing the topic back around to her and Lucas as she gestures between the two. 

“Our dads used to work together.” Olivia explains, waving a hand out at Lucas dismissively. “Now, about Aaron—” 

“ _Wait,_ your dads used to work together?” Beth asks, barely managing to keep her voice neutral as her eyes dart over to Lucas, who gives a nonchalant shrug as he shoves his hands into his jeans pockets. 

Olivia’s face drops a little. “Yeah, business partners or whatever.” Her voice falters as she says it and Beth feels her heart clench. She should _not_ have pushed that subject. 

Beth remembers Rio telling her his dad made sure his sisters and his mom never knew about the shadier side of business. But Lucas and his family were obviously involved in that shadier side of things. So, did Olivia know something here? Beth looks to Lucas again and he gives her an almost imperceptible shake of his head. 

“Look, you shouldn’t get too hung up on Aaron, he’s kind of a dick.” Beth says, quickly changing the subject, and Olivia immediately lights up again as she lets out a laugh and Lucas even chuckles. Beth is still desperate to know more about their dads partnership, but she figures she can corner Lucas later. 

“What is it about the hot ones?” Olivia asks and Lucas makes a noise of outrage next to her. Olivia rolls her eyes, not even bothering to look at him as she adds, “You don’t count.” 

Annie rejoins them with Nancy then, mentioning a game of beer pong being played over on the other side of the warehouse, and Beth could almost kill her when Olivia immediately latches onto the idea of playing a round. 

(“Annie, you’re pregnant, you can’t play beer pong.” Beth points out. 

“Relax, I’ll be drinking pop.” Annie reassures her, like it’s the most obvious answer.) 

In the end, it turns out to not be the worst thing, because at least now Beth can keep an eye on Olivia and she’s sufficiently distracted enough that Beth can corner Lucas about their dads at the same time. 

But then Lucas surprises her by cornering _her_ first. 

“So, what were you and tall hot café guy really talking about?” He asks as he leans back against the same wall she is and casually sips from his drink, and Beth lets out a surprised laugh at his direct questioning. 

“Nothing. He asked for help with something.” Beth shrugs her shoulder, keeping her focus on Annie and Olivia, who are at one end of a long folding table, playing against Nancy and some other girl Beth’s never seen before, but who Nancy seems to be friends with. 

“He asked for _a deal_. And you said you’d think about it.” Lucas clarifies, and Beth turns to him, eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he just smiles back at her. 

“Look, maybe I can help. If you tell me what’s going on.” 

And—well, he seems sincere enough, but she really doesn’t know him like that... 

“Who said I needed any help?” Beth asks, eyebrow quirked up and Lucas grins. 

“Obviously you can handle it, just thought maybe I'd offer my services.” 

And Beth can tell he’s teasing her, maybe even toying with her—but the contrast in the playful way he does it versus the calculating way Rio does it is stark and apparent. “And what, _exactly,_ would these services offer?” 

“Look, it’s obvious you’re trying to branch off, do your own thing separate from other...outside entities...I’m not looking to take over or control, I’m just...interested. I wanna see what you can do.” 

Beth looks him over curiously, trying to fit him into the overall picture she’s setting up for herself. 

He’d certainly make an _interesting_ partner, that’s for sure... 

“I’ll think about it.” She responds coyly and Lucas laughs, giving a little nod as he pushes himself up off the wall. He steps closer, hand reaching out, and Beth just watches as he takes her phone out of her hand. He lifts it up, typing something in, and then hands it back quietly. 

He put his number in. 

Beth feels herself flush, unsure of what to do. She opens her mouth to say...god, _what_? She doesn’t even know, but he cuts her off before she can start. 

“In case you need help.” He offers easily, turning away before she can respond, going to join the others at the beer pong table. 

Beth bites at her lip as she stares at her screen. At his number. 

_Should_ she take him up on his offer? He was obviously familiar with this whole process, knew at least some of the business. He’s young, but so is she, so they could be kind of...inexperienced together. 

And it’s not until her thoughts have settled a little in her head, and she’s working out a tentative plan, that she realizes she never got to ask him about the partnership between his dad and Rio’s dad. 

Before she can think too long on that, Beth’s phone vibrates and a message bubble from Rio pops up on the screen. Beth lets out a tiny whoosh of air as she quickly closes out Lucas’ contact info and swipes open the text from Rio. 

He wants to know what she’s doing. 

Shit. 

Beth glances up at Olivia, who looks way too comfortable playing beer pong. She tosses the small ball in her hand across the table and it lands neatly in one of the cups at the other end. She jumps up and down in excitement and Annie throws her hands up in the air next to her. Beth thinks Rio might just kill her if he finds out what’s going on here. 

Beth pockets her phone, temporarily ignoring Rio’s text, and makes her way over to the table, ready to tell the girls to wrap it up. 

“Hey, we’ve gotta go.” Beth leans in close to Annie’s ear, eyes darting over to Olivia, hoping her sister will get the hint. 

“Wait, what? Why? We haven’t finished the game yet.” Annie pouts and Beth grits her teeth as she glances down the table at Nancy, who’s downing the cup of beer Olivia had hit. 

“You’ll get over it. Come on.” Beth tugs on Annie’s arm, looking around her to Olivia. “Let’s go get some food in you. I know a really great diner.” 

“Hey, how come you didn’t promise _me_ food?” Annie protests and Beth feels her patience start to wane greatly. 

“I promise, I’ll feed you both.” Beth clarifies, looking around for Lucas as Annie collects Nancy. 

She finds him standing off to the side talking to some girl and catches his eye. She lifts her chin, indicating that they’re leaving and he nods and turns back to the girl. She’s not sure if that means he’s coming with them or not, but she’s not waiting around to see. 

And they’re so, _so_ close, already outside the bay doors, when Rio comes walking up with Mick. 

He doesn’t see them at first, eyes on his phone as he types out a message, and Beth thinks for a split second maybe some miracle will happen where they can slip past him, but _Mick_ definitely sees them and Beth silently groans as Rio finally looks up and notices her. 

There’s a brief look of surprise on his face, that quickly turns into confusion as he notices Annie and Nancy, and then annoyance when he finally sees Olivia. 

His eyes snap back over to Beth, his jaw rocking as his shoulders roll back and Beth swallows hard as her hands ball into fists at her sides. 

Okay, so apparently this is going to happen. 

“Oh, shit.” Annie says, breaking up the momentary silence and Beth hears Mick snort, but her eyes are stuck on Rio. 

“Texted you.” He finally says, and Beth clears her throat as she slowly uncurls her fingers, forcing herself to relax. She can still feel the tension in almost every part of her body as she replies. “Yeah.” 

He huffs out a humorless laugh at that and—yeah, she gets his annoyance. 

Beth ignoring his texts and subsequently hiding things from him—they’ve been here before. Many times. 

“What’re you doin’ here, O?” His attention shifts from her to Olivia, but it doesn’t make her feel any better. Actually makes her feel _worse._

Olivia lifts her chin in the air, crossing her arms over her chest as she stares down her brother. “Hanging out with friends, obviously.” 

Beth presses her lips together to keep the nervous little laughter from bubbling up and out from her chest, but Annie is less successful. Rio gives her a sharp look and her laughter immediately stops. 

“You know, this seems like a delicate family matter, we’re gonna just go...” Annie trails off as she waves her hand out in the general direction of Beth’s car. Beth hands her the keys and she grabs Nancy’s arm and drags her off, Nancy’s confusion at the whole situation obvious in her face and the whispered questions she asks Annie as they leave. 

Rio takes a step closer toward Olivia, who is impressive in the way she stands her ground in the force of her brother, but Beth sidesteps, blocking his way. His eyebrows shoot up as he looks down at her, incredulous at her less than subtle actions. 

“We were just going to grab a bite from the diner, I think Olivia could use some food.” Beth says, trying to diffuse the situation. 

And Beth was right in her assumption from earlier—Rio _does_ look like he wants to murder her. “Is that right?” 

“Chris—” Olivia steps up beside Beth but Rio ignores her, turning to Mick instead. “Take her home.” 

“Seriously?” Beth and Olivia say at the same time, and the look Rio fixes them both with is enough to give Beth pause. Olivia, however, looks like she’s still ready to argue. 

“C’mon, we can stop and grab some tacos.” Mick promises, waving her over to him and that seems to placate Olivia enough to give up on her brother. She gives Beth a quick hug, whispering, “Don’t let him bully you” a lot louder than she thinks in Beth’s ear. She sees Rio’s jaw clench and she does her best to bite back her smile. 

Olivia heads off with Mick, her non stop chatter and bubbly laugh fading the further away they get and Beth is suddenly aware of how very much alone they are now. 

The music and voices from the warehouse spill out around them, but it still feels like they’re the only two people in this space. 

“So, you had fun tonight huh?” He asks, stepping closer and Beth resists the urge to shift back. 

She knows he’s pissed off and if he wants an argument right now, she’ll give him one, because she’s a little pissed off as well. 

“Yeah, I did. Should I have checked in with you first to make sure it was okay?” She snarks back and she almost immediately regrets it, because that actually may have been going too far right out the gate. 

“When you got my sister along for the ride, yeah, maybe you should.” 

And she wants to yell at him that she didn’t have her along for the ride, that she got here on her own, that she was with Lucas and had been drinking before Beth even saw her. 

But she knows none of that will help either one of them. 

“She’s _fine_ , Rio.” 

“Yeah, she looked real fine. Real fuckin’ wasted too.” 

“She’s sixteen. Sixteen year olds sometimes drink. Like I said, she’s fine. I was handling it.” 

“Yeah, sure looked that way.” He scoffs. 

“Oh my god, Annie’s drank at your bar on more than one occasion and she’s definitely not of age. Only a few years older than Olivia.” 

“Yeah, and there’s a big difference between your sister and mine.” 

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” 

The venom in her voice gives him pause. “Nothin’, sweetheart.” 

“Your sister is here visiting _you._ Why are _you_ not keeping an eye on her?” She snaps, hackles up at the implication behind his previous statement and the condescending way he addresses her. Rio lets out a deep sigh and brings a hand up to run over his face. 

“What’re you even doin’ here, Elizabeth?” He bites out, a weary kind of resignation tinging his words and Beth feels her shoulders slump a little. 

“I came here to meet...someone.” She shifts nervously as his eyes narrow at her, unsure of how to proceed. This is _not_ how she wanted to talk to him about this. “I have a...potential client that is interested in...some pharmaceuticals.” 

Rio reels back a little, eyebrows raised slightly in disbelief, like that was not what he expected from her at all. And then he’s looking away quickly, suppressing a smile and Beth starts to feel a little annoyed. 

“Pharmaceuticals, huh?” He asks, cocking his head to the side, a teasing lilt to his voice and Beth glares at him, bringing her arms up to cross over her chest. 

“ _Yes_. We haven’t negotiated terms yet, but...I want to do this. On my own.” She briefly thinks about Lucas as she adds that last part, but decides Rio doesn’t need to know about him. Yet. 

“Who?” 

And she’d _really_ been hoping he wouldn’t ask that, at least not until they’d settled on some things. 

Because she _knows_ he’s not going to like it. 

When she lets the silence stretch out between them, she sees the tension slowly take over again, and Rio’s stepping closer, enough that she has to tip her head back slightly to look up at him, as he repeats slowly, “Who?” 

Beth lifts her chin defiantly, hard set eyes meeting his straight on as her jaw clenches. “Aaron.” 

He lets out a condescending little laugh as he shakes his head. “Nah.” 

And then he’s turning and _walking away_ and Beth’s left frozen in shock for a moment, before she’s scurrying after him, her hand reaching out to grab his arm, effectively stopping him in his tracks. “Excuse me? What do you mean ‘ _Nah_ ’?” 

“I mean, there ain't no way in hell you’re doin’ business with that guy.” Rio answers, barely restrained annoyance seeping out into his words, rolling off him in waves and Beth lets go of his arm and steps back. 

“I think that’s up to me, not you.” She points out angrily and Rio huffs out a laugh as he steps up to her again. 

“I think _my_ product will go wherever the hell _I_ want it to.” 

“Okay, so maybe I won’t use _your_ product.” 

And the silence that follows _that_ statement is so completely fraught with tension, Beth feels like she’s going to snap. 

“You gonna learn how to use a gun then?” He pushes forward when he asks and she stumbles back a little, trying to keep him at a distance. 

And the sudden change in subject is enough to throw her off for a moment, her eyebrows snapping together as her mouth twists up. “What?” 

“You wanna be involved in this business so bad, you wanna be a boss, you need a gun.” 

“I’m not going to _shoot_ Aaron.” She says, suddenly feeling a little flustered. “And I said I wanted to learn how to _use_ one, not that I wanted one.” 

“Elizabeth, what do you think this is, huh? You wanna be out here makin’ deals, fuckin’ with people you don’t know shit about—you think everyone’s gonna play nice wit you?” He keeps pressing forward with every question, forcing her to keep stepping back. 

“Well—” 

“You came to me, remember? Askin’ me to teach you.” 

“ _I know_ —” 

“And all you been doin’ since is avoidin’ it, tryin’ to act like you can do all this shit without it.” 

“ _Stop it_.” She hisses out, bringing her hand up and shoving at his chest to get him to stop. 

And, he does, at least. Stops advancing, stops questioning her, stills completely as his dark eyes fix on her face. 

Beth’s chest is heaving, she feels like her whole body is on fire, that low lying tension when it comes to this side of their relationship flaring up again, trying to escape from every pore in her body. 

“Fine.” She finally relents, her hand still flat against his chest, pressing in slightly. “But this deal is mine. _All of it_.” 

He’s quiet for a moment, and she thinks he’s going to try to argue against it, but then he’s nodding his head slowly, a clipped “Fine.” leaving his lips and Beth can’t help the smug little smile that slips out as a warm excitement blooms out across her chest. 

* 

And she hangs on to that little triumph, keeps it in the back of her mind when Rio takes her out to practice shooting, clings to the idea as he leans in close behind her, positioning her body, as he whispers in her ear that she just needs to breathe through it, as she closes her eyes tight and pulls the trigger. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's someone's birthday and he is _not_ happy about it.  
> Beth tries to help Rio celebrate and everything goes wrong.  
> And then, everything goes right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued thanks to medievalraven, who is so sweet and helpful with all my fics, even when I make the same mistakes over and over and over again.

“I am so screwed.” Beth moans, dropping her head into her hands and tugging at her hair, hard enough that she winces before letting it go slack between her fingers. 

Annie hums in agreement as she sips on her drink and Ruby makes a noise of sympathy as she swipes her phone open, but neither one actually offers any words of encouragement, and that’s how Beth knows she really _is_ screwed. 

She lifts her head, dropping her hands as she glares at both of them and Annie quickly sets her drink down as Ruby clears her throat. They glance at each other before turning back to her to offer their reassurances. 

“I’m sure whatever you decide will be great.” Ruby says, reaching over and patting her hand and Annie adds, “Doesn’t he like hate his birthday anyway?” 

“That’s _not_ helpful.” Beth says, reaching for her own drink and grabbing the straw, twirling it between her fingertips before using it to stab at the bottom of the plastic cup. 

The café’s been closed for almost an hour and they’ve been sitting at this table ever since, talking about Rio’s party. 

Or rather, _Olivia’s_ party for Rio. 

Olivia’s been texting Beth all week, trying to sort out details. 

And _that_ had turned into a whole _thing_ when Rio had glanced over and seen who she was texting one day. 

Things were still tense between them since the warehouse. She’s still annoyed with him about his Annie comment and he’s still annoyed with her for not telling him about Olivia. 

So, they’ve been doing what they do best—carefully avoiding the topic whenever they’re together. 

Beth’s been keeping herself distracted with this party and trying to figure out what to actually get Rio for his birthday. 

“Alright, so what do we know about gang friend?” Annie asks and Beth wrinkles her nose as she shakes her head. “Don’t call him that.” Annie rolls her eyes but concedes with— “Fine, _bar_ friend.” 

Which really is only a fraction better, but Beth knows that’s a lot for Annie. 

“He wears his hoodie funny.” Ruby points out and Annie’s eyebrows shoot up as she nods her head vigorously. “ _Yes_. Like, half on half off.” 

“Yeah like, make up your mind bro.” Ruby says with a slight shake of her head and Annie dissolves into a fit of giggles. 

“Again, super unhelpful.” Beth snaps and Ruby grins as she shrugs her shoulders and Annie laughs even harder. “I feel like I _still_ don’t know anything about him...” Beth trails off with a heavy sigh as she nibbles at her bottom lip, still absentmindedly playing with the straw in her cup. 

That seems to sober both of them up, Annie’s laughter dying off and Ruby’s smile slowly fading. 

“Look, why don’t you just get him some slutty lingerie. Guys love that shit.” Annie quickly suggests, trying to lighten the mood and Beth pulls a face. “That is so cliché.” 

“Well yes, guys are but simple creatures.” Annie responds, going back to sipping on her drink and Ruby hums in agreement. 

“I could make him something.” Beth ponders aloud, changing the subject. She knows, given the opportunity, Annie will be dragging her off to the nearest lingerie store if they stay on that topic much longer, and she’d like to avoid that whole ordeal. 

“Like what? Didn’t Olivia already order the cake?” Ruby asks and Beth nods her head. “Yeah, but I was thinking maybe more like _cooking_ something rather than baking something.” Beth reaches for her phone, clicking on the internet icon. “I heard Rio and Mick talking about pozole the other day? It’s some kind of Mexican dish.” She opens up the recipe she’d bookmarked and sets the phone down on the table, in-between the other two. “It doesn’t look very hard. It just takes a while to make. And I’ve already bought all the ingredients.” Beth brings her hands back to wrap around her cup, fingers twitching against it nervously. 

“And he said he liked this?” Annie asks, looking up from the recipe, and there’s a long pause before Beth answers. “I mean, I’m assuming? They were talking in Spanish, so I'm not exactly sure what they were saying.” 

(Beth had casually brought it up later on and Rio had laughed as he’d briefly explained the dish, teasing her about needing to brush up on her Spanish if she was going to listen in on other people's conversations.) 

“Okay, so you’re going to cook him dinner before you take him to the bar?” Ruby asks, pushing Beth’s phone back toward her. 

“That’s the plan.” Beth moves her cup aside to grab her phone, scrolling through the recipe again. She’s nervous, to say the least. 

Olivia had told her they’d be having a small get together with immediate family during the day, and even _that_ Rio apparently only _just_ tolerates doing in lieu of a celebration the last few years. This year, however, she’s planned something with friends later on. She’d insisted this year was different because this year she had Beth. 

According to Olivia, _Beth_ was the only one who’d be able to get Rio to the bar, the only one he’d actually tolerate a party for and even though Beth had pointed out that maybe she was overestimating Beth’s ability at persuasion when it came to Rio, Olivia had readily used the party at the cottage as an example. Beth had denied any part in making that happen, but Olivia had disagreed, informing Beth that that was the first time Rio had relented so easily on a get together, the first time in years that the cottage had been filled with people, with family and friends. 

And Beth...wasn’t exactly sure what to do with that information. 

And even though she’d been sworn to secrecy about the party, Beth is positive Rio knows what’s going on anyway. He always does. 

And that makes her just as positive that he’s figured out she obviously also now knows about his birthday. He knows his sister better than anyone after all, and it’s more than obvious they’ve been planning something behind his back. 

When she’d brought that up to Olivia she’d shrugged it off, unperturbed. Beth gets the impression that Rio frequently humours her indulgences. 

So, Beth has been hinting around the subject of his birthday on purpose, trying to bait a confession out of him, but _he’s_ been pointedly avoiding the topic, readily flipping the conversation around on her every time, purposely trying to annoy her, she thinks. And, well—it’s definitely been working. 

“So, food and sex. I’d say those are pretty good birthday presents.” Annie says, shrugging her shoulder and Beth rolls her eyes, because food and sex have been all _Annie’s_ been about since she’s been pregnant. 

Apparently her and Nancy had worked through their intimacy issues and were back on track. Beth hadn’t asked for details, and surprisingly enough, Annie hadn’t seemed to want to give any. 

Beth thinks maybe she holds her connection with Nancy a little closer to her chest, feels more for her than she ever did with Greg. 

“Maybe you guys can finally take me to this sex shop you so rudely went to without me.” Annie adds, pulling Beth from her thoughts. 

“I really don’t think that’s necessary.” Beth protests but Ruby’s already nodding along to Annie’s suggestion. Beth turns to glare at her and she gets on the defensive. “What? I need to stock up on a few things.” 

“Hey, boss? I’m headin’ out.” 

All three of them turn to the voice coming from the other side of the café to see Eddie coming out from behind the counter, hand up in a half wave at Annie—which she returns with a grin. “You need a ride?” Annie calls out, but Eddie just shakes his head. “Nah, meetin’ up with someone. Thanks though.” He turns away, heading for the door, and Beth throws an “I’ll be right back.” over her shoulder as she gets up, taking long strides across the room to catch up to him. 

“Hey, wait.” She says and he glances back over his shoulder before slowing to a stop, surprise and maybe a little bit of worry seeping out through the bright blue of his eyes. 

Beth steps around him, casually positioning herself between him and the door, and—yeah, definite worry there now. 

Beth debates trying to pull any information out of him in a roundabout sort of way, but quickly nixes the idea. Better a more direct approach this time, since nothing else has been working the last few weeks. “What’s going on with you?” She asks, keeping her voice quiet and gentle as she brings her arms up to fold across her chest. 

“Whatd’ya mean?” He asks, eyebrows knitting together but Beth can see the gears turning in his head, trying to work his way out of this situation before it’s even begun. He has a truly _terrible_ poker face. 

“ _I mean_ , I know something’s going on. I don’t know what it is, but I can tell. All this leaving early from work and sneaking around and avoiding me.” 

“Hey, you said I could leave all them times.” Eddie points out, trying to inch around her, but Beth just follows. 

“I don’t care that you left early, Eddie. I care about the _where_ and _why_ of you leaving early.” Her voice is firm but still quiet and gentle, not wanting to spook him, but still wanting to get right to the point. 

Eddie stiffens, shifting back, and she can tell he’s on the defensive. “Yeah, an what’s it to you?” 

Beth unfolds her arm, bringing her hands up in front of her, palms out, disarming. “You got shot! And I’d rather not have you showing up in my kitchen, wounded and bloody again.” She half jokes and she sees a small smile play at his lips. “Hazard of the job.” He says, shrugging it off, like he couldn’t have almost _died_. 

“What kind of job?” She asks cautiously. When he just silently stares back at her, she adds, “Maybe I can help, if you let me know what’s going on.” 

Eddie huffs out a humorless laugh then, a hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. “ _You_ can’t help me at all, boss.” 

“What does _that_ mean?” She asks, leaning in closer and he shakes his head as he drops his hand, shoving both of them into his pockets instead. “Nothin’, forget it.” He mumbles and Beth let’s out an exasperated sigh. 

Beth knows the risk in bringing Rio up, bringing him into this conversation, but she doesn’t see any other way around it. “Look, I _want_ to help. And if you’re worried about...about—” 

But Eddie is already closing himself off, sensing where she’s taking this. “Just let it go, f’real. It’s not a big deal.” 

“Big enough for you to hide it from _him_.” She’s careful not to use Rio’s name but Eddie flinches slightly anyway. “He’s not dumb. And neither are you.” And the worry must come through in her voice because he softens a bit. 

“It’s aight, promise. I’m handling it.” 

Beth shakes her head, because she seriously doubts that, but she can tell he’s done talking. So, she relents with a slight nod of her head. “I’m here. If you...need. Just...be careful, okay?” 

He nods, tries to step around her again, and this time she lets him. She turns to watch him walk out the door—a tight, uneasy feeling in her chest and stomach. 

\---- 

“I can’t _believe_ I let you talk me into this.” Beth says, for what feels like the hundredth time since they walked out of the apartment this afternoon. 

Annie and Ruby had helped her in the kitchen earlier, getting the ingredients prepped and ready for the soup and then helping her make it. With the girls’ help, she ended up having some time to spare before Rio was supposed to come by for dinner, and they’d somehow talked her into stopping by Adonis, “just to look” Annie had insisted. 

“Oh please, like it really took that much convincing.” Annie snorts, fingers gliding over random bottles, occasionally picking one up and inspecting it before returning it to its place. 

Her attention catches on the far back wall and her eyes light up at the various...merchandise displayed there. 

“Oh, I’ll be over _there_.” She gleefully says, practically skipping across the shop and Beth is actually thankful, because— 

Annie was right. It hadn’t really taken that much convincing to get her here. Beth had been curious about maybe picking out a lingerie set or two, and now that Annie’s distracted, maybe she can actually do it peacefully. 

Beth looks around quickly for Ruby and spots her over by the counter, talking to Krystal. 

She quickly slips away, navigating the various display cases and tables until she gets to the racks of lingerie. 

Beth nibbles on her bottom lip as she browses through the racks, fingers slipping over lace and silk and chiffon—all in various patterns and colors and cuts. 

She skips right over the neon colors and the corsets and things that have too much frill and fringe. She spots a smaller rack further back and she makes her way over to it, her eyes immediately catching on the first matching bra and underwear set displayed. 

It’s black with just a touch of lace trim and a delicate floral pattern. 

It's also _very_ sheer—both bra and underwear are completely see through. 

And then she freezes, a little shocked, because now that she’s close enough to really see them—she realizes the underwear are _crotchless_. 

Beth shakes herself out of it, quickly flipping through the hangers until she finds her size and slides it out, holding it up slightly as she runs her fingers over the lace of the bra, around the bit of underwear where the fabric is pointedly missing. And... she realizes this is _not_ a dealbreaker. 

She tries to imagine herself in it...imagines _Rio_ seeing her in it... 

Her phone vibrates in her back pocket, startling her out of her mini daydream and Beth almost drops the hanger as she reaches for it, pulling it out and checking the screen. 

Speak of the devil... 

It’s a text from Rio. He’s giving her a heads up he has some things to take care of at the warehouse before their dinner date, so he might be running late. 

Beth lets out a sigh, tucking the hanger underneath her arm so she can free both hands to text back. 

She briefly wonders if this is his way of punishing her for Olivia, but quickly pushes the thought aside, typing out and then promptly deleting a series of texts, before finally settling on a simple ‘okay’, pressing send before she can change her mind and then pocketing her phone again. 

She brings the hanger back up in front of her, regarding the set critically. 

She loves the look of it, she can even picture herself in it, she’s just not sure... 

Beth had never bought lingerie for Dean when they were together. In fact, _he_ had actually bought _her_ something—a truly god awful tacky bejeweled set that had made her feel incredibly uncomfortable and embarrassed. She’d worn it once at his insistence and then packed it far away, never to be touched again. 

Would she feel uncomfortable wearing this for Rio? Or embarrassed? 

No. She actually _likes_ the look of this one. She’s never worn a pair of crotchless underwear before, but she’s not opposed to starting now. If only to see the look on Rio’s face... 

Even taking Rio out of the equation completely, she thinks she likes this just for herself. If anything, wearing it _for_ Rio is just an added bonus—she’d feel even sexier in it, he had that effect on her. Making her feel good no matter what she was wearing. 

“Oh, that’s cute.” 

Beth turns her head to see Ruby’s slow approach. She’s glancing over the various racks, pausing to check one or two things out, before moving on again. 

“It’s not too cliché?” Beth asks, turning as she does, holding up the hanger between them, angling it so Ruby can’t get too good of a look at the underwear portion. 

And it’s like Ruby can sense Beth’s need for reassurance, that little bit of extra push she needs to decide. “B, you could never be a cliché even if you tried. It’s really cute, you should get it.” 

Beth smiles and twists the set in her hands, bringing the price tag up. 

It’s definitely more expensive than what she’d normally spend, especially with half the damn fabric missing, but it’s not so much that she can’t swing it. 

So, she ends up buying it and a red and black silk robe with a floral pattern that Annie teases her mercilessly about, accusing her of owning one too many robes already. 

Once back at the apartment, Annie and Ruby head right back out, giving Beth the space for her and Rio’s dinner. 

Beth takes a shower, wanting to start fresh as she gets ready. She feels nervous and she kind of wishes Annie and Ruby had stayed, because being left to her own devices, with her own thoughts is...exhausting to say the least. 

Since Rio refuses to even confirm that it _is_ in fact his birthday and she refuses to outright ask him, they’re stuck at this awkward stalemate, where she’s planning a dinner date and then luring him away to a party with people she doesn’t know, for an event that, hypothetically, isn’t even real at this point. 

She keeps checking her phone as she gets dressed, hoping for a text from him, but there are none. Beth pulls the bra on first and then the underwear, a little nervous about how it will feel. To her surprise it’s not all that bad. It definitely feels weird, _different_ , and she feels a little ridiculous when she first looks at herself in the mirror, flushing a bit at the rather risqué reflection, but the more she examines herself—the better she feels. She turns this way and that, running her fingers over the lace at the top of the cups, then sliding them down, smoothing her hands over her stomach before reaching the lace of the underwear. She makes some minor adjustments, but overall... 

She looks good. Like, _really_ good. 

It calms her a bit, takes her mind off all the ‘what ifs’ of this night. 

She keeps her hair down in soft waves and does a minimal amount of makeup, before slipping into her polka dot dress. The one she’d worn when they’d exchanged gifts around Christmas time. 

And then, she waits. 

She keeps checking her phone—for the time, for a _text_ , and it’s not long before she starts to get anxious and a little agitated. 

When he does finally message, it is exactly what she _doesn’t_ want to hear. 

He’s still at the warehouse. 

Beth panics for a full five minutes, wondering if she should text Olivia, and then she forms a half assed back up plan. 

She’ll bring dinner to him. 

\----- 

Beth slips into the side door of the warehouse, glancing around quickly, surprised by how quiet and empty it is. 

She adjusts her hands around the handles of the oversized picnic basket she’s loaded with food, making her way across the wide open space of the main floor. She smiles as she passes the few people milling about, cleaning and loading up machinery. 

She spots Rio almost right away, talking to a small group of people toward the back. She hadn’t told him she was coming by so he’s not expecting her, and she slows to a stop, taking a minute to just...watch him. 

This might be her favorite part of coming to this particular warehouse. Watching him in action. Seeing him interact, blend seamlessly, with his surrounding environment. 

She catches movement out of the corner of her eye and turns her head to see Cisco making his way over to her, grin on his face as he blatantly checks her out in her dress. He lets out a low whistle and Beth feels her cheeks flush at his obvious admiration. She pulls a little at the hem of her dress, remembering that she’s still wearing the crotchless underwear, and it makes her feel more than a little scandalized. 

“’Ey, Belle.” He greets her as he gets closer and Beth rolls her eyes at the nickname. 

“Is that going to be a thing now?” She asks, as he slowly comes to a stop in front of her. 

“Whatchu got there?” He ignores her question, reaching over to try to open one end of the basket and Beth huffs out a laugh as she pulls it away, because of course he would zero in on the food. 

“It’s for _Rio_.” She says, playfully scolding. He frowns, comical in how he over-exaggerates it, and Beth laughs again as she adds, “But I made sure to bring enough for everyone.” 

Cisco instantly drops the frown, reaching over to try and peek inside again. “Oh yeah, you bring all this for his—” He stops abruptly, both his hand and his words, cutting himself off from finishing, like he’s just remembered something, and Beth’s eyes widen as she leans slightly into his space. 

“His... _what_?” She asks slowly, drawing the words out and Cisco groans as he takes a step back. 

“Look, I already told him I’m not gettin' involved in your guys shit—” 

“Oh my _god_ , he told you not to say anything to me, didn’t he?” Beth is so astonished, practically vibrating with _frustration_ , that she literally stomps her foot as her eyes dart over to glare at the back of Rio’s head. And she knows it’s not a good look, to be so pouty, but—seriously? He’d gone so far as to tell his boys not to mention his own damn birthday around her? 

“He is so annoying.” She says, more to herself than to Cisco, but she can see him nodding in agreement. 

And it’s like Rio can feel her glare on him (and _good,_ she thinks), because he’s turning his head to look over his shoulder and his eyes land right on her. 

Beth quickly schools her features, turning back to Cisco, not bothering to greet Rio in any way. 

“Nuh uh.” Cisco says, shaking his head as his eyes dart back and forth between her and Rio. 

“What?” Beth asks as innocently as possible and Cisco shakes his head again, right before they both hear Rio’s voice calling his name across the vast open space and they both turn to look at him. 

Rio’s eyes are running over every inch of her body, checking her out just as shamelessly as Cisco had. But where Cisco had been playful, Rio is downright _obscene_. She can feel the heat in his gaze from here, and she shivers slightly—that heat scorching its way through her veins, igniting her from the inside out. She bites her lip as she actively pushes that feeling down. 

His gaze finally slides over to Cisco and—he does _not_ look particularly happy with him. He gestures for Cisco to come over and then he jerks his chin up towards the stairs off to the side that lead to the offices as he pointedly looks at Beth. 

Beth turns away, fully intending on ignoring Rio completely. Except now _Cisco_ doesn’t look too happy either, as he shifts on his feet, turning his body slightly in Rio’s direction. 

“Don’t you _dare_.” Beth says, eyes narrowing and poor Cisco looks like he might actually strain some muscles in his neck from how hard he’s still shaking his head. 

“I...gotta go.” He says, sounding reasonably regretful and apologetic at the fact that he’s choosing Rio over her right now and it makes Beth feel a tiny bit better, expression softening slightly. 

“Try not to kill him, blood is a real bitch to get out of that carpet.” He adds with a sly grin, before turning away and Beth laughs, trying not to think about how violent she actually _does_ feel toward Rio right now as she watches Cisco quickly stride across the warehouse floor. 

Her attention shifts to Rio, who is still staring at her, and Beth moves the basket into one hand, placing the now free one on her hip as she stares right back at him and she can practically see his jaw clenching from here. 

And then she sees his shoulders roll back a second before he takes a step in her direction and her heart rate kicks up a notch as she drops her hand from her hip, eyes darting over to the stairs, trying to calculate the chance of her making it up them before he catches up to her. 

He’s further away than she is, so she moves quickly, the staccato clicks of her high heels echoing a little louder with her quickened pace and she almost wishes she could take them off. 

Beth chances a glance over her shoulder, and she can see Rio advancing on her, and he looks...more amused than irritated now, but she thinks that might actually be worse. 

Because that means this has turned into a little game for him and— 

He _loves_ playing his little games. 

Beth adjusts the basket in her hands again as she finally reaches the steps, carefully navigating them in her heels, and _god_ , she is never wearing these here again. 

She makes it into the office only a minute before he does, and she silently curses his stupidly long legs. 

Beth drops the basket on top of the desk and rounds it, quickly putting it between them as a barrier and the corner of his mouth twitches up as he pauses in the doorway. 

“What’s going on down there?” She asks before he can say anything, curious about them cleaning out shop, but also hoping for a distraction. 

“Nothin’ you gotta worry about.” And Beth scowls at him because _of course_ he would say that. His voice drops low as his eyes drag over her body. “What’re you doin’ here?” 

Beth smooths out her facial features, gesturing to the basket. “I brought you dinner.” She says, the words rushing out, sounding entirely too breathless for the situation. 

“Oh yeah? What’s the occasion?” He asks, leaning his shoulder into the door jamb and Beth grits her teeth, hands reaching out to grip the edge of the desk to keep from throwing something at him. “Oh, nothing special. Just thought you might be hungry.” She leans forward a little as she offers him a tight smile and Rio grins as he straightens up, slowly and casually moving further into the room. 

Beth’s grip tightens on the desk as he gets closer, his eyes traveling over her again, and it feels like he’s branding every inch of skin that his gaze touches. 

“Oh, I’m definitely hungry.” He practically purrs and the wet heat that gathers is almost instantaneous, and she flushes at how _easy_ it is for him to do that to her. 

And the way his eyes drop down has Beth remembering the type of underwear she’s wearing. And the fact that she can’t let him see them yet. 

She _cannot_ let him distract her. Not tonight. They’re on a schedule. 

Luckily for her, Mick’s voice is carrying down the hallway, getting louder as he gets closer to the open office door and her eyes dart over to it and she feels a tiny bit of relief as he materializes there, his focus on a stack of papers in his hand. 

Rio hasn’t turned at all, is in no way even remotely acknowledging Mick’s presence, his sole focus still on Beth, but Beth quickly moves to pull the picnic basket closer to her as Mick finally looks up from his paperwork and takes in the scene before him. 

“Hi! I brought dinner, you should stay and have some.” Beth chirps, giving Mick her brightest smile and Mick looks a little startled as he looks over at Rio, who still makes no move to look at him. 

“Uh...” Mick lowers his papers as he takes half a step back, still looking like a deer caught in headlights and Beth reaches into the basket to start pulling containers out. 

“It’s really good, I promise. I had Annie and Ruby taste test it.” She continues, voice a little strained, and Rio lets out a little chuckle, obviously still very amused by this little game, and Beth shifts, pressing her thighs together, willing herself to stand her ground. 

Beth starts taking lids off containers, rambling nonsense as she goes, and that at least catches Mick’s attention, his interest in the food outweighing his reluctance at getting caught up in whatever’s going on between her and Rio. 

_Rio_ on the other hand still looks ready to pounce, regardless of Mick being there as an audience or not. 

“What’d you make?” Mick finally asks, shuffling a little further into the room, curiosity getting the better of him, and Beth grins. “Pozole!” She answers proudly, as she pops the lid off the container that the soup is in and the room is quiet as both guys freeze, and Beth sets the lid down slowly as her eyebrows furrow in concern. Mick whispers what sounds like “Oh shit” under his breath as Rio shuffles back a bit, any trace of heat replaced with a decidedly more...nauseous look and Beth is about to ask what’s wrong with him when Mick bursts into laughter and well— _that’s_ enough to momentarily distract her. 

And then he’s saying something in Spanish to Rio, and whatever it is has Rio glaring and shaking his head and Mick laughs even harder, the papers in his hand shaking with it. 

“Am I missing something?” She asks, trying to work out what just happened, bordering on annoyance. She glances down at the food, worried maybe she’d made it wrong...but no, she’d followed the recipe to a T, and Ruby and Annie had both raved about it. Then Annie’s words are echoing in her head. 

( _“And he said he liked this?”_ ) 

Shit. 

“Oh god, do you not like this? The way you guys were talking about it before—” 

“ _That’s_ why you asked me about it?” Rio interrupts, realization dawning, voice a little strained and Beth nods, eyes dropping as she sucks in her bottom lip, feeling more than a little embarrassed that she hadn’t asked for more clarification. 

And they must both sense her embarrassment because they’re both instantly stepping forward, hastily offering words of reassurance. 

“It looks real good, mama.” Rio says, coming around the desk, settling in next to her, his fingers coming up to slide under her chin, gently coaxing her head back up to look at him. “You did good.” 

“Yeah, look, that’s my bad,” Mick starts as he steps closer setting the papers down on the desk, “I took some cooking classes for culinary school and Rio used to be my uh...guinea pig.” Rio turns to glare at him, and Mick shrugs his shoulders as he holds his hands up in mock surrender. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty hard to fuck up pozole, but Mick here managed it. Got food poisoning, worst fucking week of my life.” Rio says, taking over the story and Mick starts laughing again. 

“So now you can’t eat it.” Beth says slowly, still looking between the two of them, and Mick nods while Rio shakes his head. “Nah, I can eat it, it’s fine.” 

She knows he’s lying, he still looks slightly ill just talking about it, and she tries to talk herself down from being upset. 

And she’s a bit mortified by how things have played out here, a little hurt at the time she’d spent making it, just for him not to even like the damn dish, but now she’s also sort of... _delighted_ at getting this small glimpse into Rio and Mick’s past. 

“No, I’m not going to let you eat something you obviously hate.” Beth says, reaching over to pick up the lid and Rio grabs her wrist, stopping her. 

“Elizabeth. I don’t hate it—” 

“Really, it’s fine. We can go grab something else to eat.” She assures him, and herself, as she pulls her wrist out of his grasp, pushing the lid back on the container, locking it in place. 

“Hey, _I_ got no problem with pozole.” Mick helpfully points out, and Beth smiles as she pushes the container closer to him. “Make sure to share.” She reminds him and Rio lets out a heavy sigh next to her. 

She steps away from him quickly, wanting to push past this little snafu as painlessly as possible, for both their sakes. “C’mon, I’m starving.” She chirps, not bothering to wait for a response, leaving the room before he has a chance to protest again. 

\---- 

And she should’ve known that the night would just get progressively worse from there. 

All of the restaurants they try have long wait lists and they end up having to just stop by a food truck and grab some tacos, already somehow running late for the bar. 

Olivia’s been texting her and it’s set Rio off on a teasing streak, dragging out the whole meal, trying to make them even later, if possible. 

Once they're finally back in his car and on their way to the bar, he rests his hand on her knee, and it doesn’t take long for it to slowly start creeping up her thigh. 

“ _No_.” She hisses, smacking his hand away and he pouts at her, that plump lower lip of his jutting out and making her want to bite it. “Behave.” She says, to him, but also to _herself_ , and she thinks he knows it too, by the way he shoots her a devilish grin. 

They finally make it to the bar and he parks around back and they both sit quietly for a minute after he turns the car off. 

“You know I woulda eaten that pozole, right?” And he’s not looking at her as he says it, instead staring out his window, but Beth smiles as she nods her head, fingers twisting into the hem of her dress. “I know.” 

He turns to her then, hand reaching out for her, but he’s interrupted by his phone buzzing and he looks like he might ignore it for a second, but then it buzzes again and his hand changes directions, grabbing his phone instead. 

Beth watches as he swipes through the incoming texts, looking more and more agitated and Beth’s stomach twists into knots, wishing all this could happen on _any_ other night. 

Rio’s fingers are moving across the tiny keyboard, sending rapid fire texts and Beth looks away, toward the bar, and all the people she knows are waiting inside. 

“Eddie still comin’ in for his shifts, yeah?” Rio asks and Beth turns back to face him, a little startled by his sudden question. 

“Yeah, of course, why wouldn’t he be?” She answers quietly, fingers twisting slightly harder into her dress. 

“Just makin’ sure he’s stayin’ straight.” Rio says, eyes steady on her and she squirms in her seat. “He is though, right?” 

And shit, she hadn’t expected him to be so direct in his questioning and especially not _now_ , not _tonight_. 

Beth hesitates, unsure of how to answer. She knows she should tell him the truth; she should let him know what’s been going on, this is _not_ something she wants to create a wedge between them, but— 

She _can’t_. She can’t bring herself to force the words out. She can’t bring herself to force _any_ words out, the only thing she seems capable of doing is giving him a sharp nod. 

And she knows—god, _she knows_ that he knows she’s lying to him, can see it in his face and he even waits, letting the silence stretch out between them, like he’s giving her a chance to tell him the truth, but she _doesn’t_. 

He waits another beat then—”Let’s go.” It’s short, clipped, his tone and face just so... _distant_. And then he’s pushing his door open, done waiting for a response from her, climbing out of the car and Beth scrambles a little to follow, to catch up. 

He manages to slip into the crowd under the radar, so by the time Olivia notices him, it’s already too late for a big “Surprise”. She pouts a little but still hugs him anyway, and Rio teases her about her terrible party hosting skills and kicking her out for being too young. 

The bar is decorated with balloons and banners and streamers and Beth thinks Rio probably hates every bit of it, but he does his due diligence as big brother, openly admiring it all as Olivia grins up at him. 

Beth recognizes a majority of the group as the same ones from the cottage mixed with a few Beth has seen at the warehouse and here at the bar. 

Beth and Rio are almost immediately separated in the crowd and Beth wonders if that’s done purposely on his part or not. 

She distracts herself from that thought with Gretchen and Lucas, and then Annie and Ruby when they eventually show up. 

She also drinks. 

Probably too much, because she eventually finds herself stumbling through the hallway at the back of the bar, heading straight out the back door, desperately needing some fresh air. 

She leans against the outside brick wall, resting her head back against it, taking in deep soothing breaths. She’s just starting to feel a little less woozy, a little more stable, when she hears raised voices coming from around the side of the building. 

Beth tentatively walks over, cautiously peeking her head out around the corner. It’s dark, but she’s pretty sure she recognizes both of the guys standing and arguing in the alleyway. 

“Eddie?” She calls out, squinting a little in the dark, and both Eddie and Lucas turn toward her. “What’re you guys doing?” She asks, stepping around the corner, approaching them slowly. 

“Nothin’, was just headin’ out.” Eddie answers, too quick and that uneasy feeling from before settles back into her chest. 

“Are you okay? Do you need a ride?” Beth asks, fully aware that she is in no way capable of operating a vehicle at the moment. 

“I got him.” Lucas chimes in. “He’s just being a dick about accepting my generous offer.” 

Beth laughs, tension easing, and Eddie ducks his head, kicking at the ground with the toe of his shoe, and _god_ , he looks so young, blessed (or cursed) with a perpetual baby face. 

“ _You_ should get back to the party though, shouldn’t be hangin’ around outside shady ass bars at night.” Lucas says, gently turning her and steering her back around the corner. 

“Take care of him, okay?” Beth whispers, knowing Rio’s just inside, waiting for any excuse to be on the warpath. 

Lucas hums an agreement, giving her shoulders a light squeeze before turning back around, heading back to Eddie, and Beth watches him go, before heading back inside. 

It’s _much_ later when the party finally dies down, the last few stragglers waving bye to Beth as they head out the door, and then the bar is finally, blissfully, empty. 

Rio’s in the back office with Mick and Cisco and Beth starts cleaning up, clearing tables of empty glasses and beer bottles. 

She decides to take a break about halfway through, pouring herself a fresh glass of bourbon. 

It’s almost eerily quiet in the bar now, except for the music still playing overhead and Beth lets out a small sigh, feeling like she can actually breathe easy for the first time all night. 

She strolls down the open space between the bar area and the high top tables, slowly coming to a stop next to one of the tables. 

Beth twirls her hair around her fingers, swaying her hips a little as she sips her drink. 

She closes her eyes, letting the music wash over her, distracting her from all the ways this night had gone wrong, trying instead to focus on all the ways it had gone right. 

She imagines Rio’s smile when he spotted her across the room earlier, the tension from their talk in his car having eased away as the night wore on. How _relaxed_ he’d seemed as he laughed with Gretchen and indulged Olivia in all of her little games. 

The tempo on the music picks up and Beth’s hips move to match it. She dances quietly for a few minutes, feeling herself loosen up considerably, until she’s flushed and pliant. She starts humming along to the song then, as she sets her drink down on the table in front of her. 

She slides her hands down her sides, fingers twisting into her dress, bunching it up the slightest bit (a little thrill running through her knowing the crotchless situation going on underneath) as her body continues to move to the beat. Her eyes blink open, vision hazy from the alcohol, and she bites down on her lip, twirling around as she lets the skirt of her dress fall freely, enjoying the cool swish of it around her thighs. 

Beth sucks in a sharp breath, her hand flying up to her chest, when she sees Rio sitting on one of the stools at the bar, leaning back on his elbows, apparently enjoying the free show she’d just given him. 

Her cheeks burn, her whole body feeling like it’s on fire as she reaches back to steady herself against the table. 

“I didn’t see you there.” She breathes out, bringing her free hand up to swipe her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ears nervously. 

“I know.” He says, eyes dark as they slowly travel down her body and then back up again. “C’mere.” 

Beth swallows thickly, breasts straining against the buttons of her dress as each breath comes out quick and heavy—from the dancing, from _him_. Her lips part slightly, but she can’t seem to push any words out, so she shakes her head silently instead. 

He huffs out a quiet laugh as he straightens, his hands coming down to rest at his knees as he leans forward. He tilts his head to the side, blinking lazily as he holds her gaze. “Come. Here.” 

Everything about him appears relaxed, impassive, but Beth’s known him long enough to know there’s an underlying tension there, coiled tight. Can _feel it_ in his voice. 

And then she realizes—he hasn’t touched her since the car. 

She lets go of the table, slowly walking over to where he’s sitting at the bar, coming to a stop just out of reach. 

He cocks an eyebrow and she mimics him and he lets out a laugh before reaching out and grabbing her, hands sliding over her hips to pull her closer as she lets out a little squeak, half heartedly struggling against him. 

“You never wished me a Happy Birthday.” Rio accuses, a look of total indignation on his face and Beth’s mouth drops open and then snaps shut as he grins at her and she brings her hand up to smack his shoulder. 

“You are _such_ a—” Rio cuts her off with a kiss, laughing against her mouth when she makes a noise of protest and smacks his shoulder again, because _rude,_ but then she’s softening, returning it, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. 

And then he’s spinning her around and lifting her up, propping her up on top of the bar and Beth gasps as she tries to keep her balance, hands coming down to grasp at his shoulders. “What are you doing?” 

“I’m still hungry and you didn’t let me eat earlier, ma.” 

“Oh my god, are you _serious_ right now?” Beth hisses, eyes darting over to the set of double doors leading to the back offices. 

“I don’t joke about that, Elizabeth.” He says sternly and Beth can’t help but laugh at how serious he actually does look. 

“Absolutely _not_.” She says, even as she squirms against him, because _of course_ she’s wet and wanting already and he hasn’t touched her with anything but his words. “What if someone walks in?” 

“Don’t worry about it.” He says, hands sliding up and down the inside of her legs and Beth swats at them, biting back a smile. “That’s not how that works.” She points out, but doesn’t stop him when his hands automatically find her legs again. 

“No?” He asks, hands sliding up higher as he looks up at her and Beth feels her resolve weakening. 

“No.” She whispers, but her legs betray her, falling open easily as his hands slide up to her knees and he gently pushes them apart. 

She finds herself anxious, breathless, as he slowly pushes her dress up past her knees, up her thighs, waiting to see his reaction... 

Rio inhales sharply when he gets her dress pushed all the way up around her hips, exposing the underwear underneath, a string of curse words leaving his lips as his eyes dart up to meet hers. 

“Happy Birthday.” She says, voice low and husky, and _god,_ she doesn’t even recognize it as her own, and Rio’s eyes turn impossibly dark as he lets his fingers skim over the inside of her thighs, never taking his eyes off hers. 

“You been wearin’ these all night?” Beth nods slowly. “At the warehouse?” She nods again and Rio makes a low noise in the back of his throat that has Beth clenching around nothing. “This a matching set?” And fuck, he sounds just as wrecked as she is, and she nods her head one last time before he’s surging up, murmuring “Wanna see.” as his fingers deftly work the buttons at the top of her dress open. 

He unbuttons just enough to expose her breasts, nipples straining against the fabric of the bra and Rio groans, burying his face in her cleavage. Beth laughs, bringing her hand up to run over the back of his head before settling against his neck. He starts mouthing at her skin before moving to her nipples, nipping at each one through the sheer fabric of the cups and Beth gasps as she grips the back of his neck. 

Then his hand is between her legs, fingers sliding over her and Beth sucks in a breath, eyes darting back over to the doors. “ _Rio_.” She protests, voice low and warning. 

He pulls his head back slightly, just enough to look her in the eyes as he continues to lightly stroke over her folds. “Want me to stop?” He asks, leaning in close to place a soft kiss at her jaw and Beth closes her eyes and sighs, because _no_ , actually, she _doesn’t_. 

She shakes her head slightly, sending a silent prayer out into the universe that Cisco and Mick have gone home and Rio instantly reacts, sliding two fingers inside of her without warning, and Beth gasps as she scrambles back against the bar top and Rio wraps his free arm around her back, holding her in place. 

“Where you goin’, mama?” He asks, voice teasing as he places another kiss along her jaw before nipping at it and Beth smacks his arm as she glares at him and he just chuckles as he starts to move his fingers inside of her. 

Beth clings to him as he moves his mouth along her neck, her collarbone, the tops of her breasts, all while working her over with his fingers. 

And then he’s dropping back down onto the stool, pulling his fingers out and using both hands to spread her legs open even wider and Beth plants both palms flat against the hard, cold wood of the bar top, trying to steady herself. 

“Look at how wet you are.” He murmurs, kissing along the inside of her thighs and Beth flushes, trying not to think of the very clear view he has of _that_ right now. 

“This is _mine_.” He husks _—_ and it’s not a question, he says it likes it’s a fact, and she doesn’t think he’s even really talking to her, he’s not even looking at her, focus still between her thighs, but she feels herself nodding anyway a breathy “ _Yes_.” falling from her lips. 

His eyes flick up to hers and then he’s reaching his hands up, grabbing her hips and sliding her forward, and Beth starts to protest a second before his mouth is on her and then she’s finding it hard to speak, or _think_ , at all. 

He works her relentlessly with his mouth and his fingers, until she’s gripping the back of his head so hard she actually worries for a second that he might not be able to breathe. And then he’s pushing her over the edge, her orgasm sudden and sharp around the edges, tiny spikes of pleasure pricking throughout, almost _painful_ in how _good_ it feels. 

Her head is still thrown back, her eyes still closed, when she feels Rio’s hands gently pull at the hem of her dress, letting it settle around her thighs as he kisses and nips at the skin there and she’s slowly blinking open her eyes, head coming down to look at him, when she hears voices, right before Mick and Cisco push their way through the double doors and Beth lets out a shriek, grabbing at the top of her dress where she’s still unbuttoned, pulling it together as she snaps her legs closed, almost kneeing Rio in the face in the process. 

They quickly retreat, shouting apologies over their shoulders as the doors swing shut behind them and Rio leans into her, forehead pressed against her thigh and she feels his breath against her skin as he _laughs_ and Beth glares down at the back of his head. She shifts her knee out from under him and he lifts his head up to look at her. 

“This is _not_ funny.” 

“It’s a lil funny.” 

And god, he looks so _good—_ eyelids heavy, pupils blown, mouth still wet with...with _her_. 

She tugs up on the sleeve of his shirt and he goes easily, sliding between her legs as he stands and she pulls him into a kiss, licking into his mouth, turning it filthy, surprising him, she thinks, as she feels him tremble slightly against her. 

She pulls away after a minute and he chases after her lips, but she dodges him, angling her head so her mouth is next to his ear, and she catches his earlobe between her teeth, tugging slightly before letting go, nipping at the wingspan of his tattoo, whispering against his skin— 

“Take me somewhere...” 

“Anywhere, mami...” 

\----- 

They end up at Rio’s family cottage, having swung by both their places to hastily pack a few things before taking off and Beth feels semi-delirious from the alcohol mixed with lack of sleep, by the time they get there. Beth stops off in the bathroom and then the bedroom to change and when she comes out, she doesn’t see Rio anywhere. She wanders through the living room, looking at the family pictures on the wall, fingers tracing over the framed ones lining the fireplace and it's not until she’s turned toward the set of large bay windows, that she spots him outside. He’s further out into the massive backyard where there’s a large paved area with outdoor furniture surrounding a stone firepit, and she watches, fairly impressed, as he quickly and expertly gets a fire going. 

Beth hurries back into the bedroom, opening up her bag to pull out the small Tupperware container she’d slid inside when she’d grabbed her things from the apartment. 

She takes it to the kitchen, popping it open and grabbing the cupcake and candle out, sticking the candle into the frosting on top and then searching through the drawers until she finds a lighter. And then she slips out the back door to join him. 

He turns as she gets closer, smile tugging at his lips as he realizes what’s in her hands and Beth grins as she comes to a stop in front of him. 

“I won’t sing, because it would be terrible, but you _have to_ blow out the candle and make a wish. We take birthday wishes very seriously in my family.” She lights the candle, thinking back to her and Annie’s birthdays when they were younger. How her mom and dad always made a big deal about their wishes, making sure they closed their eyes extra tight and concentrated all their energy into their biggest wish imaginable, before blowing out the candles with as much air as their little lungs could handle. It had always sent the girls into a fit of giggles, wishing nonsense fairytale wishes, happily munching on their sugary treats after. 

It’s the one family tradition that Beth had been determined to carry on even after their little family had fallen apart. 

Rio pulls her close, forcing Beth to move the cupcake to the side to avoid burning them both. He stares down at her quietly, focus so intense that she has to resist the urge to squirm, to pull out of his grasp, but then he’s finally turning his head and blowing out the tiny flame, and Beth watches the wisps of smoke curl up and disappear. 

Beth plucks the candle out of the frosting, bringing the end covered in frosting up to her mouth to lick it off and Rio licks his lips as he watches her. She rolls her eyes as she lifts the cupcake up, offering it to him, and he takes it with a grin. 

Beth tosses the candle into the fire as Rio takes a bite of his cupcake and he hums in approval, licking his lips again as he swallows. “S’good.” 

“I know, I made it.” She says, giggling as she lets him pull her close again, and he places a quick kiss at the top of her head before bringing the cupcake up to her mouth and she takes a small bite, closing her eyes as the chocolate frosting melts in her mouth. 

Despite there being an ample amount of seating around the fire, Rio insists on pulling her into his lap as he settles into one of the chairs. They sit in comfortable silence as he finishes off the cupcake. 

“Olivia seemed really happy tonight.” Beth says softly, playing with the sleeve of his hoodie and Rio huffs out a laugh.

“Yeah, think that party was more for her than me.” He replies, and he sounds more amused by that than annoyed, at least. 

“It was uncharacteristically nice of you to play along.” She says, a little playful as she turns her head to raise an eyebrow at him. 

“Yeah, yeah.” He mumbles, nudging her until she turns back around and Beth presses her lips together to keep from laughing. There’s a pause before he adds, “She’s had a rough time…” He trails off, settling further back into the chair and Beth nods along quietly. 

She stares into the fire, lost in thought as the bright warmth washes over her. There’s a burning question on the tip of her tongue, something she’s been desperate to ask, ever since Olivia popped up at the cafe. But she doesn’t want to ruin this...this _moment_ with him. She lets out a small sigh as she shifts on his lap and Rio’s arms come up to wrap around her. 

“Elizabeth.” She can tell he’s exasperated with her, already knows her thoughts are running rampant, and Beth stiffens a little. “Just ask.” He says, mouth pressing against her shoulder and she almost changes the subject, almost feigns ignorance as to what he’s talking about, remembering the last time, when he’d pulled away, but... 

“Did...did the thing with your...dad...happen on your birthday? Is that why you don’t like to celebrate?” She asks hesitantly, deliberately keeping her wording vague, unable to use the actual words she needs to. 

She winces as she feels him go completely still beneath her, as the quiet stretches out, and she feels like she’s just carelessly poked at a fresh wound, reopening it and starting the painful healing process all over again. 

She opens her mouth to apologize, desperately wishes she could take it back, but his arms squeeze her tightly as he noses at her hair, breathing in deep, before she feels him silently nod against her and— 

Beth swallows thickly as her heart clenches and her hands wrap around his forearms, squeezing him back. 

And she wants to say something, _anything_ , but she doesn’t know _what_. 

And then the words are tumbling out of her mouth before she can stop them. “Sometimes...sometimes it feels like my mom is—” She pauses, the next word catching in her throat. She couldn’t use it before, when asking about his dad, and she can’t force herself to use it now. “— _gone_. Sometimes...I think it would be easier if she was...” Beth swallows thickly, chest feeling impossibly tight—and really, could she have picked a worse thing to say? “Is that...is that terrible?” She whispers, clinging to his arms as she reopens her own wounds—her pain suddenly twisting and melding with his own, almost _terrifying_ in the way she readily embraces it, absorbs it, the pressure in her chest ebbing and flowing with it. 

“Nah.” He says, untangling an arm from her grip so he can reach up and tilt her chin back, forcing her to look at him as he shakes his head firmly and Beth smiles weakly, squirming a little as she looks down, tugging at his sleeve. “Sorry for forcing you to celebrate—” 

He squeezes her tightly again, cutting her off. “Nuh. First time in two years I been able to...relax. That’s all you, mama.” 

Beth shifts, turning slightly in his lap, mouth desperate as it finds his, her hands sliding up to cup the sides of his face and she melts into him, feeling the pressure swell almost painfully, before it’s finally, finally, _finally_ cresting and breaking, the immediate relief she feels with it making her whimper against his lips and he swallows the sound with his kiss. 

She pulls back slightly, forehead resting lightly against his, eyes closed as she strokes her fingers over his face. 

And— _Oh_. 

_Oh, fuck_. 

It’s like a freight train, when the realization hits her, washes over her, so overwhelming in its weight, in the way it consumes her, it literally leaves her breathless. 

_She’s in love with him._


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I apologize profusely for taking so long to update!  
>  **A quick refresher of prev. chapters** -  
> Beth made a deal with Aaron.  
> Eddie got in some trouble.  
> Beth realized how deep her feelings for Rio are.  
>  **Things happening in this chapter** -  
> Beth has trouble sleeping. Rio helps.  
> Beth and Olivia have a chat.  
> Beth and Rio are horny idiots.  
> This chapter is a bit of a filler, there is a lot happening across the next few chapters, so prepare yourselves for some angst!

It’s dark and almost... _uncomfortably_ quiet in Beth’s bedroom, the only sound Rio’s soft breathing next to her. 

She rolls her head to look over at the bedside clock and lets out a sigh as she sees the time. 

1:30 a.m. 

And she is wide awake. 

She feels like her mind has been working a mile a minute ever since...well honestly ever since she met... _him._

She turns over carefully, eyes readjusting in the dark as she takes in the outline of Rio’s body, her sheet wrapped low around his waist. 

He’s on his side, facing away from her, and she reaches out and lightly traces a finger down his bare back, his skin warm to the touch. He runs hot, always, and she knows eventually he’ll even be kicking that sheet off of him and a smile tugs at Beth’s lips as she thinks about him, naked in her bed. 

He shifts slightly and Beth gently flattens her hand against his back, watching and waiting as she silently soothes him back to rest. 

Once he’s settled again, she quickly and quietly slides out of bed, blindly reaching down to the floor and grabbing her underwear and the closest article of clothing she can find—Rio’s t-shirt. 

She pulls them both on and then slips out of the room, pulling the door partially closed behind her. 

She shuffles out into the kitchen, pausing to yawn and stretch once she gets there, before reaching over and turning on the light, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. 

She doesn’t move right away, just taking a second to decide where she wants to start...and then she’s flitting around the small space, pulling ingredients and measuring cups and mixing bowls out and prepping her counter space for baking. 

It’s where he finds her a half an hour later, quietly humming as she finishes setting the freshly made cake batter into the pan. He’s shirtless, of course, sweats slung low on his hips, and he rubs at his eyes as he ambles over, lips brushing against her neck as he wraps his arms around her from behind. 

“What’re you doin’, ma?” He asks, voice rough with sleep as he nuzzles into her hair. 

“Baking a cake for Eddie’s sister’s baby shower.” She explains carefully, knowing he gets...moody when it comes to Eddie lately. 

And just like that, he stiffens, pulling away from her slightly. “What?” 

Beth bites down on her lip as she gently pulls the rest of the way out of his grip, taking the pan over to the oven and popping it in. “She's due a few months before Annie. I swear there must be something in the water around here...” The words are coming out too fast and she forces herself to slow down, glancing over her shoulder to take in his perplexed expression. 

She gives a little shrug after she trails off, turning away again to start cleaning up, clearing the counter of all the baking supplies she no longer needs, desperate to keep her hands busy. 

He’s silent behind her and she puts all of her concentration into cleaning up, on edge the whole time. 

He exhales loudly and she sees him move out of the corner of her eye, sidling up next to her to help her clean and she bites back a smile. “And you needed to do all o’ this at two in the mornin’?” He asks, his own words coming out just as carefully as hers had before. 

“I...couldn’t sleep. This helps.” Beth avoids his gaze as she moves around him, but he’s not letting it go, reaching out to grab her arm and pull her into him before she can get far. 

“You know what else helps you sleep? Me.” His hands slide down to her ass and squeeze and she lets out a tiny yelp as she tries to shove him away but he holds fast. “Like seein’ you in my clothes, ma.” His fingers graze over the bare skin at the hem of his shirt, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “How much time you got before that cake’s done?” 

She puts on a show of protesting, letting him pull her back into her bedroom and then he’s flat on his back on the bed, pulling her down with him, but he’s not pulling her down _next_ to him—instead he’s pulling her up his body, to straddle his _face_ , as she shrieks and then giggles. 

Her giggles soon turn into moans as he pulls her panties aside and yanks her hips down, his mouth immediately on her. Her hands come down hard on the headboard, her knuckles turning white with how hard she's gripping it. Her hips rock back and forth of their own accord, his mouth working its magic, making her whimper as her head falls back. 

He’s got her on her back, working her through her second orgasm, when the timer for the oven finally goes off. 

She’s cussing underneath her breath, shoving him away as she tries to pull herself together enough to check on the cake before it burns, as he follows, laughing, behind her. 

He hops up onto the counter while she pulls the cake out of the oven and sets it on the cooling rack. 

“We were thinking about moving up the drop. Annie and Ruby have the cash washed and ready to go.” Beth says, internally debating whether or not she should stay up to add decorations now as well. 

“That’s good. S’gonna be awhile til the next one.” 

Beth stops what she’s doing and turns to face him. “What do you mean?” She asks slowly, crossing her arms over her chest. She can tell already that she isn’t going to like his answer, because he’s regarding her very carefully, expression smoothed out into that infuriating blank mask of his. 

“We’re scaling back on a few things.” 

She waits a beat for him to continue, knowing he won’t, because getting information out of him lately is like pulling teeth. “Why?” 

“These things happen, darlin’.” He says with a shrug of his shoulder and Beth’s arms tighten around herself. 

“ _Don’t_ —don’t talk to me like that. You don’t get to do that with me. Not anymore.” 

He doesn’t say anything for a bit and she thinks this is it, he’s shutting down, pulling back—but then he surprises her. “It’s better if you don’t know.” 

The words hang heavy in the air between them and then she’s quietly asking, “And who is that protecting? You or me?” 

When he doesn’t answer she shakes her head, angry at herself for walking right into that one. 

“How long?” She asks, her thoughts immediately going to Annie and the baby. They’d been doing well, had enough saved up—for now. Then there was also her deal with Aaron. Lucas had just helped her get things up and running smoothly after more than a few bumps in the road. And now what? He just expected her to be able to pause all of that? 

“Does this have anything to do with the equipment you pulled out of the warehouse?” She asks before he can even answer her first question, feeling a fresh wave of anger low in her belly with the sudden thought, because that was a week ago and he should’ve given her a heads up if he knew then—given her time to work things out on her end. 

He lets out a long sigh, hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. 

“When my tíos feel heat, they don’t mess around—” 

“Heat from _who_?” 

“The FBI.” 

And he says it so casually, like he equates it to the principal at school, rather than a government organization that can put them in jail. 

He slides down off the counter and walks over to her, reaching up and cupping either side of her face in his hands. “Relax corazón, they aint got nothin’.” 

“How do you know that?” 

“Cause we got it handled, Elizabeth. This aint the first time and it won’t be the last.” 

“What does that even _mean_?” 

He reaches down, lacing his fingers with hers and bringing them up between them. “It means sometimes we got a rotten egg we gotta deal with.” 

Beth freezes, pulling back from him. “Deal with...how?” 

He doesn’t answer, instead pulling her back, closer to him, kissing the top of her head as he whispers, “Come back to bed.” coaxing her out of the kitchen and back to her bedroom for the second time that night, ready to distract her with his mouth and something other than talking. 

And, already working out a plan in her head to get around this whole mess, she lets him. 

\----

Beth sighs as she leans back in her chair and brings her arms up, loosely linking her fingers together above her head as she stretches. 

She’d come in way too early this morning for her shift at the café and it’s been nonstop busy ever since. Thankfully her shift will be over soon, but she has an afternoon class to make it to and her mind is already on her bed at home. 

Her phone vibrates on the desk in front of her and she drops her arms, hand reaching out to flip her phone over and swipe it open. 

A text bubble pops up and her eyebrows furrow as she sees who it’s from, quickly standing and pocketing her phone as she makes her way out to the front of the café. 

And sure enough, sitting at a small round table tucked in a corner, is Olivia. 

Olivia grins as she approaches, setting her phone down as she stands up, and Beth should be expecting it, should really be used to it by now, but she’s still caught off guard by Olivia’s warm embrace. 

“Hi!” Olivia chirps as she lets go and settles back into her seat and Beth pulls out the chair opposite hers and sits. 

“Hey. I didn’t realize you’d still be in town.” Beth says, a bit hesitant. She doesn’t want to come off as rude, but she is still very much surprised to see her dropping by unannounced. 

“Oh, I’m leaving tonight. Chris can’t wait to ship me back off to _la ley_.” Olivia says with a roll of her eyes and a giggle. When she’s met with Beth’s slightly confused look, she’s quick to clarify. “Our mom. Anyway, I wanted to say goodbye first...and also say thank you.” 

Beth’s confused look only deepens with that added statement and Olivia’s rushing to clarify again. “I know I already did at the party, but I just...” She trails off, looking uncertain as she brings her hands up to fiddle with her frappuccino cup and Beth leans forward. 

“Olivia, you don’t have to thank me for _anything_. I had a lot of fun helping out.” Beth reassures the younger girl, but Olivia’s shaking her head before she can finish. 

“No, I know, it’s not really about...I’m not really talking about...the party.” 

“Okay...” Beth says slowly, waiting for her to finish. 

Olivia takes a quick drink from her cup then breathes in deeply as she fiddles with the straw, looking anywhere but at Beth. “Chris is...he’s different. With you.” Olivia starts and Beth’s lips part as she shakes her head but Olivia powers through. “It’s not like a bad thing. At all. It’s just been so long since I’ve seen him relax, like—you have _no idea_ how uptight he was before.” She lets out a little laugh as she says it and Beth grins, because yeah, she can actually picture that perfectly. 

“I know our family isn’t the most... _conventional,_ ” She pauses, glancing up quickly at Beth and Beth stops breathing for a second because— _does she know_? Before she can dwell too long on that though, Olivia is hastily continuing. “And my brother can be...difficult at the best of times and I know you probably got way more than you signed up for when you two got together, but you have been so good for him, and I just wanted to thank you. For deciding to stay.” 

Beth sits quietly for a moment, unsure of what to say. Was Rio different with her? Had what happened to his dad changed him so much? And now he was changing again...for her? The thought causes her heart to clench, a tightening that stretches out uncomfortably across her chest as it starts to rise and fall quickly and she forces herself to breathe normally through it. 

“That is very, very sweet of you to say.” Beth starts, offering her a small smile when she pauses, trying to choose her words carefully. “But it’s not...this thing between your brother and I—I don’t think I can credit myself for any changes in him, we’re not that...serious.” Beth practically chokes out the last word, her stomach twisting as her mind slips back to the night of Rio’s party, but she yanks herself from those thoughts quickly as she straightens up in her seat, clearing her throat as she offers Olivia another smile. 

Olivia’s quiet as she regards her with that dark steady gaze that is so similar to her brothers it makes Beth shift uncomfortably. And did his whole family have to have this uncanny ability to seemingly stare into a person’s very soul? 

“Our older sister isn’t around much.” Olivia’s voice is quieter now, more reserved. “She’s so busy with work and her own family...Chris is all I really have. He’s so protective, but I’m—I’m protective of him too. And whatever you guys are...it’s been nice, seeing him happy—well happy in his own way.”

“He’s really lucky to have you as a sister. Although I can’t imagine him being even more of a tight ass than he is now.” Beth jokes and Olivia laughs, properly distracted, tension easing, and the knot in her chest loosens a little. 

They talk for a few more minutes, Beth giving her reassurances that she will be available, should Olivia ever need her and Olivia trying to secure promises of future get togethers. 

By the time she leaves, the suffocating feeling in Beth’s chest has subsided, but the dull ache in the pit of her stomach has only gotten worse. 

\----

Beth steps out of the shower, reaching out and grabbing one of the plush over sized towels from the nearby wall rack and wrapping it around her body. 

She gingerly steps across the tiled bathroom floor and over to the vanity, praying that she doesn’t slip and fall. Ending up sprawled out on Rio’s bathroom floor with a bruised tailbone is not exactly how she wants to start this evening. 

She reaches out and wipes the condensation from the mirror, watches as little droplets leave streaks in their wake as they trickle down, catching on the mirrors edge. 

She stares at herself for a moment, hair piled up into a messy bun at the top of her head so it wouldn’t get wet. Loose tendrils frame her face and she reaches up and pushes a strand aside, the gesture achingly familiar yet foreign—being performed by her. 

Beth tilts her head to the side, slight furrow to her brow as her eyes slowly scan over herself, searching for... 

God, does she even know? 

Olivia had said Rio had changed since he met her and Beth— 

Well, Beth had definitely changed since she met Rio. 

And while she can certainly admit she _feels_ different, she doesn’t think she necessarily _looks_ any different—at least, not really. 

She can admit color kisses her cheeks more often these days, her eyes betraying a certain gleam when it comes to— 

Well. 

Her fingers drift down the side of her face, before tracing over her lips... 

“What’s goin’ on in that head o’ yours?” 

Beth startles, hand dropping as she turns around to face Rio, who’s leaning against the door jamb. She hadn’t even heard him come in. 

“Nothing.” She answers, voice quieter, _smaller_ , than she means it to be and Rio regards her for a moment before straightening and stepping further into the bathroom. 

“Elizabeth, we don’t gotta—” 

“No, it’s not—it’s nothing. Really.” She offers him her most reassuring smile as she steps closer, meeting him halfway. 

She reaches out and grabs his hand, not stopping as she tugs him out of the bathroom and over to his bed, shivering a little as the chilly air of the loft hits her still damp skin. 

Beth swallows hard as her eyes catch and stick on the small plug and bottle of lube on the bedside table. 

She hears Rio inhale behind her and she just knows what he’s going to try to say, _again_ , so she’s quick when she turns around this time, tugging at the knot holding her towel together, letting it fall around her feet and— 

Yeah, that shuts him right up. 

He doesn’t move however—but his gaze does flit down, taking her in and Beth backs up until her legs hit the bed and then she sits, shimmying her body up until she settled back onto the pillows. 

“Come here.” She softly commands, as she settles her hands against her belly, fingers inching down between her legs and Rio licks his lips as he just watches her for a moment. 

She shivers again, a combination of her lack of clothing and the intensity of Rio’s stare. 

“Rio...” She breathes out as her fingers softly stroke over her center and he finally reacts, stripping off his clothes and joining her. 

He kisses her as his hand drifts down to cover her own and she gasps into his mouth when he presses her fingers harder, coaxing them to move faster. 

And then he’s kissing his way down her body, licking into her while her fingers work at her clit and her hips buck, thighs closing around his head and when he laughs into her cunt she reaches down and smacks his shoulder. 

“Ouch, ma.” He murmurs as his hands grasp at her thighs, fingers pressing in as he holds her open. He turns his head, biting at her skin before sucking it into his mouth and Beth’s hands grasp uselessly at the short hair at the back of his head. 

She shudders as he continues to nip and suck at the inside of her thighs, before his mouth is back on her cunt, his fingers joining not long after and her head tips back as her hands slide off his head and she brings them up to grasp at the pillow under her, fingers twisting into the pillowcase. 

He flattens his tongue against her, licks long and slow, as one hand slides up her body to her breasts, fingers teasing at her nipples and she writhes against him as her breathing becomes ragged. Her hand comes down to cover his, fingernails digging into skin when he works his tongue inside as the fingers on his other hand slide over her clit. Then he switches them, his tongue lapping at her clit while his fingers stroke inside of her and—really, it’s always been unfair just how _good_ he is with his mouth. It doesn’t take long before she throwing her head back, eyes closed and mouth open as she comes. 

And then she watches, chest still heaving as she tries to catch her breath, as he leans over and swipes the plug and bottle off the night stand and then settles on his knees by her legs. 

Her knees press together as she lifts up onto her elbows to continue watching him. His eyebrow raises at the movement and she suddenly feels hot, her face flushed while he applies the lube to the plug. 

His hand comes out and drifts up her leg, from her ankle to her knees, gently pushing them apart, and they fall open easily enough—they always do for him. 

“Gotta hold yourself open for me, sweetheart.” He says and she nods, biting at her lip as she hooks her hands behind her knees and pulls them up. 

His fingers are gentle as he applies some lube to her hole and then he’s slowly, ever so slowly and carefully, inserting the plug and Beth bites back a moan as she forces herself to relax and not tense, grip tightening behind her knees as he finally gets it all the way in. 

He tugs on it a little and Beth feels herself clench as she gasps. 

“Yeah? That feel good?” He husks as his fingers trace the sensitive skin stretched around the plug and all Beth can manage is a nod as she squirms under his ministrations. 

His hands leave her to stroke over his already half hard cock and then he’s telling her to let go of her legs and she does, shivering as she adjusts to the plug inside of her. 

Rio leans over her, his lips finding hers, tongue coaxing her mouth open to deepen the kiss almost immediately and Beth’s hands come up to wrap around the back of his neck, pulling him closer, hips lifting, rocking against him until she can feel the tip of his cock brush against her. 

He teases her at first, rubbing against her sensitive clit and in-between her soft folds, lubing himself up with her wetness before finally sinking down into her in one long stroke and they both pull away from their kiss to let out a groan. 

“ _Shit_ , Elizabeth...fucking...tight.” He chokes out, grinding down against her, like he can’t stop himself, and Beth lets out a whimper as her hands slide down to grasp at his shoulders and _god_ — 

She feels so... _full._

Rio pulls out until just the head of his cock his resting against her and then, inch by inch, sinks back into her warm wet heat and Beth presses her mouth to his shoulder, biting down as he sets a torturously slow rhythm of rocking in and out of her. 

The sensations are overwhelming, and she can feel them pushing her toward her peak, building and building and _building_ , drawing it out almost _unbearably_ , until she clenches around him again as her hips rock up, trying to take more of him in. 

She hears the quiet “Fuck” he hisses out before he pulls out, flipping her over onto her stomach and then pushing back in, picking up the pace and she starts to pulsate around him, her hearing and vision going fuzzy. She honestly thinks she blacks out for a second, her whole body jerking as she fists her hands into the sheets and buries her face into the pillow to muffle her loud cries. 

Beth barely registers it when Rio finishes, coming inside of her before she goes completely boneless, exhausted. He’s panting against her neck, his warm weight pressed heavily against her back, and she lets out a pleased little hum as she rubs her face against the pillow, delicious little aftershocks still surging throughout her body. 

A moment later, after they’ve both finally caught their breath, he presses a kiss to her shoulder as he pulls out. She feels the bed shift beneath her and then she can hear him moving around the loft but she can't be bothered to move her own head to look and see what he's doing. 

But then he’s back, smoothing his hands up the back of her thighs and then over her ass, massaging it gently. He spreads her cheeks apart and she inhales sharply as he slowly removes the plug. Not even a second later he’s gliding a warm wet washcloth across all of her overly sensitive parts and she twitches as her hips try to instinctively move away. 

He finishes cleaning everything up while Beth manages to wiggle her way underneath the comforter, eyelids feeling heavy as she lets out a yawn. 

“Passin’ out on me already?” Rio teases as he slides in next to her, reaching over and pulling her into him and Beth shakes her head, even as another yawn escapes. 

He lets out a chuckle as he squeezes her and Beth nuzzles into his neck, kissing the wingspan of the bird gracing his neck. She pulls back slightly, fingers coming up to trace over the lines she just kissed. 

“What is this for?” She asks suddenly, realizing she’s never actually asked him about it before. 

She almost instantly regrets it when he’s quiet for too long after she’s asked and she shifts uncomfortably, but his arms tighten around her, keeping her close. 

“It's for the...club that I’m in.” He says and she doesn’t even have to see his face to know that stupid smirk is there—can hear it in his voice. 

“Oh, is that what we’re calling it now? Like a book club?” She scoffs, managing to wiggle out of his arms just enough to glare up at him. 

“Exactly like a book club.” He replies and Beth reaches out to pinch him. 

“Liar.” She accuses and he laughs, grabbing her hand to pull up to his mouth and lightly bite at her knuckles. “Better than you.” 

Beth gasps, mouth falling open in outrage. “No one is a better liar than me.” 

He tilts his head to the side, grin still on his face as he nods. “Aight. Two truths and a lie.” 

“Fine. You first.” She says, scooting up to sit against the headboard, pulling the blanket up to wrap across her chest before folding her arms over it. 

He studies her for a moment before settling back against the headboard as well. He reaches over and grabs her hand again, pulling it over to him. “I learned how to use a gun when I was twelve. Mick’s pops took us out to some backwoods fuckin’ range. No protection or nothin’. Surprised we didn’t kill each other.” He chuckles as he says it, turning her hand in his so her palm is facing up. “There’s this sushi place over on the corner of Fort and Woodward that the chef’s been teaching me how to make some dope uramaki. Wanna take you there one day soon.” His fingers ghost over hers, tracing from the tip of her ring finger all the way down her palm, and then further down and over her wrist. “My ma’s been buggin’ the shit outta me to meet you since Olivia’s been bragging bout you non stop to her.” He continues tracing small patterns into her pulse point before stopping and pressing his fingers in slightly. 

Beth feels like she can’t breathe. 

She focuses on his thumb pressing into her wrist, can’t tear her eyes away from it—doesn’t want to have to look up at— 

“Elizabeth.” 

His fingers slip off her wrist and reach up to nudge underneath her chin, but she keeps her eyes downcast as he lifts her face toward his. 

“Definitely the sushi. I can’t imagine anyone trying to teach you how to cook.” Beth says, going for lighthearted but it comes out faint instead, and she clears her throat before finally looking up at him. 

He’s smiling though, like he actually finds her lame joke funny, his eyes entirely too... _soft_. 

“Ah, ya got me.” He says, leaning down to place a kiss at the bridge of her nose and Beth rolls her eyes, but lets out a soft laugh, leaning back into him a little. “Still gonna take you there, though.” 

“You really learned to shoot when you were twelve?” She asks, carefully avoiding the other truth he’d thrown out, and trying to side step the current one. 

“Yeah, me, mick, an Seb—” 

“Lucas’ brother?” Beth asks, trying to conjure up the image of him from that time at the warehouse in her mind. She remembers him seeming even more uptight than Rio and Mick combined. 

“Yup. Used to kick up all kinds o’ trouble when we was younger.” 

“When you were younger? Like you aren’t still causing it now?” 

“Funny.” 

“I’m a funny girl.” She shoots back smugly, crinkling up her nose and he leans down to bite it and Beth jerks back with a shriek, shoving at him. 

“Aight my lil estafadora, your turn.” He laughs, pulling her back into him until she’s pressed back into his side.

Beth buries her face in his chest, taking a second to just...breathe him in before continuing their game. 

“Okay. I stole a car once. Well, more than once actually. But the very first time I stole it, I ran over a bunch of trash cans.” Rio chuckles at this and Beth smiles. “I won a local baking contest at the fair. The only reason I entered was because there was a cash prize and I...I needed all the extra money I could get to save up for college.” She’s quiet after this one, lost in thought as she remembers how good it had felt to win. How proud she had been to get that ribbon, the look on Annie’s face... 

Rio gives her a light squeeze, placing a kiss at the top of her head and Beth shakes herself out of it. “I used to play violin. Was pretty good at it too. Annie used to beg me to play for her at night before she went to bed.” She trails the pads of her fingers over his stomach while she waits for him to guess, circling around his belly button before dipping lower and he huffs out a laugh as he places a hand over hers, stopping her movements. “You tryin’ throw me off my game, quit cheatin’.” 

“I’m not! It’s not my fault you’re so easily distracted.” Beth laughs, poking at his stomach. 

“Alright, alright. I keep thinkin’ it’s gotta be the car one, but you been fuckin’ up cars since the day I met you, so maybe that one’s truth—” 

“Hey!” 

“So, I’m gonna go with the violin.” He talks right over her outraged cry and she lets it go because she really can’t believe he actually got that right. 

“I wanted to play violin but my parents had already dropped three grand on a baby upright at that point so...” She trails off, thinking about how upset she had been when they’d told her no, lectured her about seeing things through, even if she had fallen out of love with it... 

“You play piano?” 

“I can’t remember the last time I actually played anything, but yeah. I took lessons for years.” 

“You like it?” 

And...that was a harder question than it should be to answer. _Did_ she like it? She knows she’s good at it, had stuck with it for so long it was like second nature to her. A hobby, like riding a bike or reading a book. 

There’s definitely a...familiarity there when she sits down to play. When she presses fingers to keys. 

“I suppose...there’s a sense of comfort in it.” She finally settles on and she knows it’s a non answer but he seems to accept it, humming an acknowledgement as his fingers trace over hers where they are still settled against his stomach. 

“You gonna play for me?” He asks and she looks up at him, takes in his heavy lidded gaze, the yawn he tries to stifle and she smiles softly. “Who’s passing out on who now?” 

“Not an answer, Elizabeth.” 

“Neither is that, Christopher.” 

He barks out a laugh, shoulders shaking with it and Beth blinks up at him, eyes wide as her chest tightens, stomach fluttering with— 

God, he’s just so—and _she_ just— 

Beth surges up, pressing a kiss to his lips, cutting him off mid laugh, surprising him. It takes him half a second before he’s responding, pushing down on her, getting her onto her back and sliding between her legs. 

She revels in the warm familiarity of his weight against her, the way he wraps himself around her, melding them together until she can’t tell where he ends and she begins. 

And Beth closes her eyes tight as she lets herself get lost in his kiss, his smell, his touch. 

**Author's Note:**

> There will be 26(ish) chapters, more or less, depending on chapter length and if I decide to split up or combine any!


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